Necrons rise on Hexis

Since the destruction of the necron device on Hexis the major powers had scaled back their efforts to hold and take ground on the blasted wasteland. Now the device had been lost altogether, the ruins of Hexis and the entire system of Lysis had lost all strategic significance, but for a number of reasons, the planet remained a contested battleground, although with diminished priority.

For the Imperium, the planet and the system still represented value. There was a necron ruin to explore, and the Adeptus Mechanicus were not willing to entirely give that up. General Konev still had a job to do, and if he was frustrated at no longer leading the most important campaign in the sector, he didn't show it. In the city of Praxis, the chaos forces held the ground, with the tyranids and genestealers of R'lyeh running riot in the eastern wastelands.

The necrons however, despite not being fully awake or able to access their full strength, still desired to rid the surface of their world of the invading "infestation". Marshalling a new host, the ancient race moved in force on the main city in early 04.020M42. Although defended by the chaos pact, the area directly to the south of Praxis was mostly occupied by the greenskin freebooters that had been present to augment the chaos forces at the outset of the campaign. The new necron assault took the orks completely by surprise, and over the course of a single Terran day, the greenskins were cleared from the south west of the ruined city, and the necrons were one step closer to retaking their ancient stronghold.

Webway Portal near Bymarsh eliminated

Imperial forces on Corticant knew that the eldar were able to constantly threaten their positions through their use of the webway portals that dotted the planet's surface. No one knew exactly how many there were, but intelligence was constantly being gathered from the movements of eldar forces, and as they continued to launch attacks in their endeavour to gain control of the necron device, the location of likely webway portals was gradually being narrowed down.

With Bymarsh successfully defended by the Imperial Fists, general Veers was informed of a likely location of a webway portal near the settlement. Not knowing the exact location, the imperial general devised a broad frontal attack in order to throw a perimeter around the likely portal location, in order to allow the Adeptus Mechanicus time to conduct an in depth search.

Veers knew that the eldar would likely respond to this move, so included powerful Novgorod forces in the move west. As predicted, Aeldari forces led by the Ul'Staer craftworld launched an ambush against the imperial advance, and a fierce battle developed in the scrubland in the hills to the west of the imperial settlement. Heroism from the Novgorod forces, as well as reckless aggression enabled the eldar assault to be fought off, with the sacrifice of a Demolisher siege tank pivotal as it single handedly charged the eldar wraithblades. This delayed the Aeldari ambush, enabling the Novgorod to hold on to important locations and the imperial line held. Soon after, the Adeptus Mechanicus successfully located and destroyed the first eldar webway portal on Corticant, and the xenos retreated, knowing further attacks on the Novgorod here would be futile.

Admiral Hughes fails to break through chaos blockade

With the threat of the chaos "planet killer" and the obvious risk to the safety of the under construction docks at Mordecai Tersius, admiral Stark agreed with admiral Hughes to set up a series of standing patrols to ensure that no roving chaos battlegroup was able to slip past the net again and threaten the vital installation project. Stark would attempt to hunt down the dangerous chaos capital vessel while Hughes, with his fleet of nova cannon dominators, gothic class cruisers and the powerful Emperor class Centurion, would be the second line of defence. A key concern for Hughes was to avoid a catastrophic defeat, given the current imbalance of logistics at Mordecai. The chaos fleet could apparently repair and refit even heavily damaged ships within weeks, and any hulks were being used to create new vessels at the rate of one per solar year. Given the estimates of fleet strength were now suggesting the traitor forces may have as many as thirty capital vessels within the Perseus Deeps, any sudden loss of ships by the Imperium could potentially lead to a blockade of Mordecai Secundus and the collapse of the campaign there.

 

Aware of this fact, when Hughes' battlegroup encountered a force of Emerald Serpent vessels on 0504.020M42, the key word was caution. The dominator class Repulse and Implacable were kept at a distance, firing their nova cannons, while the Centurion and her escorts closed carefully with the enemy fleet while Hughes identified his enemies. The imperial fleet soon identified their opponents, with some trepidation. The Emerald Serpent fleet was made up of a Despoiler class battleship, an Acheron class heavy cruiser, supported by two devastations and two carnage class vessels. Hughes knew this was a powerful array of vessels and took precautions.

 

Planning to reduce the impact of the now closing fleet the nova cannon equipped ships were ordered to open fire, while the Centurion and her gothic class escorts attempted to get into a flanking position, before launching a devastating combined attack craft and torpedo attack. Unfortunately for the imperial admiral, the nova cannons of the dominators and mars class vessels were generally ineffective, being wildly inaccurate and generally when they did hit a target, failing to hit anything vital. The chaos fleet engaged at maximum range and the imperial fleet soon found their gunfire to be accurate and punishing. One by one the imperial cruisers were forced to disengage as they came under heavy fire, and during the course of the battle four imperial cruisers were heavily damaged. As his firepower diminished, Hughes could not deal an effective counter strike against the chaos vessels, and after a prolonged engagement at range, although the imperial fleet had caused significant damage to two chaos ships, both of those successfully disengaged following a failed bombing wave from the imperial carriers.

 

The imperial fleet disengaged, although the damage to the chaos fleet was enough for them to return to port. The imperium had suffered the greater damage however, and this was an attritional exchange they could not afford. Hughes was praised for ensuring the survival of his ships, but admiral Stark was unimpressed at the lack of boldness shown by his fellow admiral and requested overall command of the imperial fleets. Lord Sector admiral Bova Magnus however was not willing to put the entire fleet under a Novgorod admiral, and so the shared command system remained.

Imperial Fists defeated by Ynnari but hold on

Despite having wrestled back control of all settlements on Corticant, the Imperium knew this was unlikely to mean an end to the Aeldari attacks on the world. Corticant was well defended from space, but general Kutuzov knew that in the wilderness zones of the planet, which made up more than three quarters of the surface, there were a number of eldar webway portals. These would need finding and shutting down before the Imperium could hope to be free of the alien threat.

 

Worse still, the eldar still had a vested interest in Corticant. The Imperium knew that the ancient race could not tolerate the Imperium having control of such a powerful alien artefact, even an inert one, as the attack on Hexis had clearly shown. The Aeldari race were united in their purpose to gain control over all the devices in the sector, wherever they were found. They had two, chaos controlled one, one remained missing and the final active device was to be found at Corticant.

 

In order to bolster Imperial defences on Corticant, several companies of space marines were allocated to its defence. On company of Imperial Fists was given the defence of Byford, the settlement closest to the Device Chamber and one which would need to be taken and held by the eldar in order to besiege the Chamber for long enough to deactivate and remove the device. The Imperium knew that the eldar could mount a full scale invasion, but the fastest route for their alien enemies would be to overwhelm Byford, take the device chamber and hold out long enough to escape with the device.

 

This fact the Imperial Fists and the general of the guard agreed on, so the Imperium's strongest defences were arrayed near the town. On 0404.020M42 their logic was proved correct, as a combined force of Ynnari and Ul'Staer eldar was reported making a two pronged move on the settlement from the wastelands to the west.

 

The Imperial Fists initially held a line outside the settlement, intending to swiftly defeat one arm of the encircling move before moving quickly to intercept and crush the other. However the battle against the Ynnari quickly went wrong, with the Fists finding that the Emperor himself appeared to have deserted them, as their psychic powers let them down and weapons and resolve faltered. The Ynnari pushed on, and the Fists were forced to retreat. This left the plan in tatters, but the astartes resolved to defeat the Ul'Staer craftworld in the city itself. Outnumbered and almost surrounded, the battle for Byford raged for days as the eldar attempted to push into the city. Initially things went well, as the Imperial Fists' prepared positions tool down a wraithknight and two falcon tanks almost immediately. However following the initial success rather than abandon their mission, the eldar continued to press the astartes, concious that they were almost at breaking point. Only with a truly super human effort did the space marines manage to hold out, eventually wiping out the Ul'Staer craftworld attack and holding Byford.

 

The situation on Corticant by 0704.020M42 was becoming difficult however. The Imperial Fists had sacrificed a great deal to protect the entrance to the device chamber, and were severely depleted in terms of manpower and equipment. Kutuzov knew the renewed battle for Corticant had only just begun.

Emerald Serpent “Planet Killer” deals imperium blow at Mordecai

Following the abortive attack on the Imperial docks at Mordecai, the Emerald Serpent tried again to deal a significant blow to the Imperial fleets now congregating in the system. This time, the vast menacing form known by the name of "Judgement of Q'Tharn" was detected on the loose by imperial spies who had noted its departure from the space docks of Mordecai. This mighty vessel, believed to be a copy of the "planet killer" Gotterdammerung, owned and operated by the mad admiral "Thok", had been encountered before, but Stark knew such a force would have to be immediately countered as it would easily be able to destroy the docks now under construction at Mordecai Tersius.

 

Stark immediately sent in his close range torpedo fleet, launching an attack on the Q'Tharn and its consorts. In the battle Stark showed his usual aggressiveness, even ramming the mighty vessel with one of his cruisers. However, the chaos guns caused a great deal of damage to the imperial fleet, as Stark was unable to close the distance fast enough to prevent one of his cruisers, a Lunar, from being wrecked. The Chaos fleet was driven off after the great vessel had been seriously damaged, but the Judgement of Q'Tharn was able to return to port for repairs. Meanwhile Stark couldn't claim victory, as his fleet had suffered damage as well as the loss of a vital front line cruiser.

Imperial Reserve fleet defends orbital dock works at Mordecai Tersius

The call to arms by Admiral Stark at Mordecai continued to bear fruit, as in early 04.020M42 several more groups of vessels arrived in the system. To cope with the increasing numbers, Stark ordered the construction of a set of space docks around Mordecai Tersius, in order to refit his ships more rapidly. Following that, the Imperium would start construction of defences for the orbital docks. Until then, the imperial admiral assigned his oldest ships, including a grand cruiser and a hades class vessel, to the defence of the docks. His remaining ships, including Admiral Hughes' powerful battlegroup, were organised into battlegroups led by Hughes, Stark and Gorshkov.

 

The imperial fleet were taken by surprise on 0204.020M42 when a chaos battlegroup managed to evade imperial patrols and launch an attack on the construction efforts around Mordecai Tersius. Covered by a radiation burst from the mercurial Mordecai star, the Emerald Serpent fleet was made up of vessels carrying a great number of attack craft, as the traitor fleet intended to see off any defending imperial vessels before launching close in bombing strikes against the installation as it was under construction, thus bypassing any large scale shielding the Imperium may have set up.

 

However, the chaos attack was undone by Stark's protection, and the elements themselves. The older imperial vessels may have been the least battle ready of the Imperial fleet, but they were handled well by their experienced crews in the ensuing battle. Worse still for the Emerald Serpent, the chaos fleets struggled to organise their attack craft waves as radiation bursts played havoc with communications, and the bomber waves did not have the desired effect. Three capital class vessels were put out of action, including two devastation class and a Styx class heavy cruiser. The chaos fleet was driven off for the loss of one imperial light cruiser, and the Imperium began to wonder just how many vessels the Emerald Serpent had, and how quickly they were managing to repair them at Mordecai Docks.

 

Although this was a decisive victory for Stark's fleet, there were acrimonious exchanges between the admirals on who was to blame for allowing such a powerful battlegroup to get so close to the orbital docks around Mordecai Tersius. Gorshkov and Stark blamed each other, but since the outcome had been a victory for the Imperial navy, the matter as quickly dropped when sector commander Bova Magnus sent his congratulations.

Second fleet action at Mordecai

Admiral Stark had managed to call even more forces to his banner at Mordecai as 04.020M42 began. With the action at Hexis no longer relevant, the concentration of force at Mordecai continued to increase despite the warp storms afflicting the region. Now, Stark had elements of Gorshkov's battlegroup to hand, including the rear admiral himself, as well as ships from Admiral Hughes' fleets from the western Aleph sector.

 

On 0204.020M42 Stark conceived an operation to take the initiative away from the forces of chaos. Gorshkov was given a bombardment mission on Mordecai Secundus to help Kutuzov, approaching the planet by way of the solar corona region. Although dangerous to his escort vessels, the move would force the chaos fleet to either intercept on imperial terms, or allow massive damage to occur to their attempted defence of Mordecai Secundus.

 

The Emerald Serpent confronted Gorshkov's fleet in the solar flare region of the Mordecai system. Even in this volatile region of space the imperial admiral risked his bomber pilots and escort crews, and the gamble paid off. Bomber waves tore into the chaos vessels who were surprised at the recklessness of the imperial admiral. Two carnage class and two devastation class cruisers were put out of action or even beyond repair, although exact information on whether the ships would ever be salvaged was difficult to obtain due to the confusing solar glare. The chaos battleship handled the situation badly, and it's position meant it was unable to contribute to the battle in the critical moments, resulting in the heavy losses suffered by the remaining chaos fleet.

 

The Imperium suffered almost no damage and no losses, although the dangerous environs of Mordecai's star did take their toll as the imperial luck ran out. Three sword class escorts were obliterated and their crews irradiated as a solar flare happened to erupt directly in their path.

 

The boldness of Gorshkov's action had delivered a decisive victory for the Imperium, and the fleet was even able to continue to Mordecai Secundus to deliver an orbital bombardment of chaos installations, before their ammunition ran low and the battlegroup prudently returned to their supply vessels further out in the system.

Ynnari steal Necron device from Hexis

Despite clearing Corticant of the eldar threat - at least for now, the Imperium soon found themselves under attack from the Aeldari in a most unexpected location. Ever since the necron device on Hexis became non-functional, the adeptus mechanicus had been tirelessly examining the artifact having dug it out of its rubble tomb. Protected by a screen of Novgorod Guard from general Konev's now diminished army, the imperium did not expect an attack from Ynnari forces and were taken somewhat by surprise when in late 03.020M42 the forces of the Aeldari race appeared and made a precise attack on the location of the now defunct device.

 

The Ynnari attacked swiftly and overran the adeptus mechanicus facility within hours, but then were counter attacked by strong Novgorod forces. In a brutal battle both sides took heavy casualties, with some imperial observers claiming that the Ynnari leader Yvraine was killed or at least taken out of action. The Ynnari held off the Imperium for several hours, before retreating in good order towards the webway portal. When Konev's forces finally took back the mechanicum facility, the necron device was nowhere to be found.

 

Why the Ynnari wanted the device remained a mystery, but the loss was keenly felt by the adeptus mechanicus, who lost a precious chance to understand the necron technology which kept open the routes across the cicatrix. Perhaps the Ynnari simply wanted to prevent the information falling into the hands of the imperium. The inquisition began to suspect something altogether more worrying. Meanwhile, the body of Yvraine was not found, so reports of her demise were treated with some skepticism.

Inconclusive fleet action at Mordecai

Following the warp storm outbreak of 03.020M42, the fleet movements of the Imperium were curtailed, but not altogether prevented. The battlegroups that Lord Admiral Bova Magnus had control over became split up and difficult to control centrally, but Admiral Stark was proactive in ensuring he had access to the as many vessels as he could lay his hands on. Sending out instructions to muster at the outer marker of the Mordecai system, by late 03.020M42 Stark's fleet at Mordecai was substantially bolstered with the arrival of a flotilla of Dauntless class vessels from neighbouring subsectors, as well as the Emperor class battleships Centurion and Leipzig.

 

The substantial increase in Imperial vessels threatened the chaos supply routes from Mordecai Primaris to the inner planet, now invaded by the Imperium under general Kutuzov, so the Emerald Serpent was forced to act in order to inderdict the Imperial fleet, with the intention of engaging in attritional encounters. The chaos fleet had a fleet base in the system, whereas the Imperium did not, so any losses would be more keenly felt by the Imperial side.

 

The first encounter between the two fleets occurred on 2403.020M42, when a chaos fleet was detected approaching the Imperium's main fleet rendezvous point above Mordecai Tersius. Here the Imperium had their precious supply fleet, so Stark send a powerful fleet of six dauntless class vessels, supported by Centurion and Leipzig to intercept.

 

The battle itself was inconclusive. Two chaos cruisers were heavily damaged but managed to escape back to the Mordecai docks, frustrating the imperial admiral, although one Carnage class was caught and hulked by the combined imperial firepower. One dauntless class cruiser was put completely out of action in the engagement, but the Emerald Serpent had failed to inflict significant attritional casualties on the Imperial fleet. The dauntless class cruiser Phoenix was taken in tow and could be repaired to operational status within weeks, while the chaos losses could soon be patched up at Mordecai docks, with the exception of the cruiser destroyed. This however was only the opening salvo in a series of increasingly savage naval battles at the Mordecai system.

Corticant cleared of Eldar

By late 03.020M42 General Veers was close to victory on Corticant. The eldar were now holed up in the settlement of Fairmoor, in the western region of the inhabited zone of the planet. Veers wanted a quick win, and although the planet would never be fully rid of the eldar threat until all warp portals were hunted down and eliminated, clearing the world of eldar from Imperial territory would be a major step forward. Finding the webway gates could then begin.

 

Veers knew only a frontal assault would achieve victory quickly, and once again he turned to the blunt instrument that was the Novgorod Guard. The imperial force advanced on Fairmoor, opposed by a significant army of Ul'Staer warriors. The battle began with the Imperium concentrating their fire on an enemy wraithknight, but its demise caused the guard as many problems as it solved, as the giant walker exploded violently, killing many on one flank of their advance, including a company commander.

 

With this apparent success, the eldar then threw in their wraithguard reserve, wiping out the lead elements of the Novgorod advance. However, the Novgorod always have more men to throw into the fight, and attrition is the nature of their strategy. Supported by their largely intact armoured forces, the second wave of infantry swarmed over the eldar positions, breaking the defenders and sweeping into the settlement. Now displaced from their last meaningful territorial hold on Corticant, the remnants of the eldar forces drifted away, either into the wilderness or back into the webway. By 3103.020M42 General Veers was able to report that Corticant was fully back under Imperial control for the first time in years.

Necrons awoken on Vespae

While the Aleph Sector struggled with warp storms, the eldar encountered their old foe in the system of Vespae. The system had been quarantined by the Aeldari race in 019M42, fighting off the expansionist imperial fleets and warning their allies the Tau to keep away, occasionally using force to ensure compliance. Now, in 020M42, the necrons awoke.

 

The resurgent necron threat was countered by the Ul'Staer craftworld, after it was realised that if just one tomb city awoke to full wakefulness, there was the threat of system wide reawakening of the alien race, which represented millions of warriors the eldar would not be able to counter. Acting swiftly, the eldar attacked the necrons as they mustered in front of their ancient tomb. Although unable to defeat the ancient enemy, the necrons were unable to contact adjacent tomb complexes, and a protective corden was established around the awakened complex. For now the necron threat at Vespae had been contained.

Imperium close to victory on Corticant

On Corticant, despite the increasing difficulty in securing logistical supplies, the imperium were still actively pursuing their campaign against the illusive eldar. The settlement of Blackhollow was next on general Veers’ objectives, and on 2003.020M42 the Imperial Guard began sending scouting expeditions to the hills surrounding the settlement. Finding nothing, the Novgorod Guard moved into the settlement. Then the eldar attacked. 

Led by forces if the Ul’Staer Craftworld the Aeldari came up against well equipped and experienced Novgorod soldiers, and the attack, though savage, was repulsed. By 2303.020M42 the settlement of Blackhollow, now devoid of a human population, was back in imperial hands. 

However, just a few days later, the Ynnari launched a savage surprise attack. Falling upon the Novgorod supply lines the new Aeldari faction caused severe damage to the imperial supply lines, putting back Veers planned assault towards the last eldar stronghold of Fairmoor.

Chaos battle Aeldari on Paradorn

Now united in purpose, the eldar race immediately used their advantage of the webway to take the fight to the forces of chaos, the main enemy. The Ynnari along with their Ul'Staer Craftworld allies launched an assault against the forces of chaos still holding significant territory in the Paradorn system. Although the main goal of the Ynnari was not to take territory, the systems dominating the Foramen could not be allowed to remain in chaos hands.

 

The defence put up by the forces of chaos, notably the Emerald Serpent was far greater than the Aeldari expected. The Ynnari, despite having the element of surprise, found the resistance from elite Thousand Sons  difficult to overcome, and it seemed the tzeentch sorcerers had been forewarned of the attack. The Ynnari assault did manage to achieve its objectives, but the element of surprise had well and truly been lost when the Craftworld eldar of Ul'Stear appeared. The Emerald serpent pushed the eldar back, forcing them to abandon much of the territory gained, with the result that as of 2403.020M42 the Aledari alliance had actually lost ground.

Cicatrix Maledictum pulses dangerously

As 03.020M42 progressed, all races in the Aleph Sector began to notice some worrying signs within the Cicatrix Maledictum. It began in the Hadron Expanse, far to the galactic east of the sector, as the warp around Hexis began pulsing, sending waves of warp energy across the Expanse, disrupting interstellar travel and leading to localised "warp afflictions", with some planets experiencing an upsurge of psychic phenomena.

 

Initially, it was hoped that the warp effects being felt in the Expanse were due to the local destruction of the mysterious necron "device" on Hexis, but gradually the pulsing effects of the great rift began rippling all along the warp anomaly. All races using the warp for travel were affected as even the Foramen became unstable, trapping or sending off course ships trying to traverse the Cicatrix. Psychic phenomena began affecting worlds nearest to the rift, and like an unstoppable contagion, psykers became attuned to the pulsing effects, transferring the warp affliction even further afield.

 

By 2003.020M42 the Imperium was forced to suspend all interstellar travel between worlds in the vicinity of the Cicatrix Maledictum. Not only between to and from the Imperium Nihilis via the Foramen, but even between neighbouring systems. Only the eldar had forseen this psychic awakening across the sector, and the webway stayed, for now, relatively stable. For the other races, supplies became a critical concern as warzones found themselves isolated from their logistic hubs. However, the wars continued.

 

A new reality dawned across the sector, one that had escaped the worst effects of the coming of the Cicatrix. Wars became more desparate and grand offensives on a planetary scale became ever more difficult to organise. The wars on Mordecai and elsewhere would continue, but on a far less grand scale. Meanwhile, the eldar, realising the Ynnari were right all along, now began to act in unison for the good of their race.

Ynarri attack and defeat Craftworld Eldar

In 03.020M42 the Ynnari reappeared in the Aleph Sector in strength. Bringing prophecies of an impending calamity the youngest eldar faction appealed to the Craftworlds of their race for unity of purpose, and a change to their strategies within the aleph sector. While most of the Aeldari race complied, a few Craftworlds resisted, and refused to accept the "advice" of this new faction. One in particular refused to go to war as the Ynnari instructed, and remained set on their path of glorious isolation. This was unacceptable to the Ynnari, who demanded that all of their race answer the call to arms. Unable to defeat the Craftworld of Ul'Staer with logic, the Ynnari instead took direct action.

 

In a series of actions throughout the webway, the Aeldari race went to war, with itself. Two major actions saw the Ynnari defeat the Craftworld eldar decisively. Led by their warlock conclave, the first engagement was decisive, with a Ynnari Solitaire going after and killing the eldar farseer of Ul'Staer who the Ynnari held responsible for the failure of their Craftworld to listen to their demands. This first engagement broke the Ul'Staer resistance, but fighting continued through the webway for several days, as pockets of resistance were systematically defeated.

 

By 2403.020M42 the matter was settled. The Ynnari had proved they would take Aeldari lives in order to ensure unity of purpose, and all the Craftworlds in the sector were aligned to their new purpose. However, none outside the Ynnari yet knew what that purpose was.

Goreen cleated of orks for second time

In 019M42 the forces of the Arch-Heretek Cybixx were believed to have eradicated the ork threat on Goreen, but as the diretion of the campaign against chaos became focussed in the Perseus Deeps, Cybixx and his allies disappeared from the Hadron Expanse. This should have been good news for the Imperium, who now held the system uncontested, but a series of attacks on human settlements on the sparsely populated Goreen Alpha came under repeated attack from greenskin warbands. General Percival, overall commander of Imperial forces in the Hadron Expanse, having had many of his assets stripped for the war on Mordecai, could not immediately respond, and the loss of Goreen alpha appeared to be a real possibility.

 

Fortunately the Imperial Fists were able to lend assistance. Although small in number, the elite marine forces were able to efficiently hunt down and push the greenskin forces back into the wilderness zones. They then went further, pursuing the orks into their remaining heartlands and savagely destroying any pockets of xenos they could find. The sky of the planet was soon thick with the soot and smoke from raging forest fires, as the astartes relentlessly burned the greenskins out of their hiding places, and by the end of 03.020M42 the system was declared free of the ork infestation.

Mordecai: Lunge south cuts off Kuneus

The next move by General Kutuzov in the war against chaos on Mordecai was to target the major city of Kuneus to the south of the Abrax mines. A crucial supply point and intersection of routes, the city was the next logical place for the Imperium to attack. In order to avoid a brutal city fight, the imperial plan called for an encircling move, for which the Lycannon Guard was readied in early 03.020M42.

 

As the flanking move began, the guard were opposed by the traitors of the Darantine regiments, as well as the knights of the apostate Aether Striders. Loyal to the Emerald Serpent, the forces of chaos put up a strong defence against the imperial advance, and a major battle developed to the west of the city. The Lycannon regiments, well equipped and familiar with fighting the Darantine and Aether Striders in previous engagements across the sector, were able to overcome the chaos defences, and within days of the advance beginning, the city of Kuneus had been surrounded, with the tanks and infantry of the Lycannon guard reaching the shores of the great lava sea. Now imperial forces were within striking distance of the Saguthar mines to the south, but first the city of Kuneus, besieged, would have to be dealt with.

R’Lyeh encountered in the Perseus Deeps

Although hive fleet R'Lyeh has been encountered on Hexis, it was believed that the tyranids of this particular strain were confined to the Hadron Expanse. It came as something as a shock then, when in mid 03.020M42 a large hive fleet was encountered by the forces of chaos in the Perseus Deeps. The Emerald Serpent, patrolling against incursions by Imperial vessels made contact with the tyranids in a neighbouring unpopulated system to Mordecai, and immediately engaged the interlopers.

 

The battle proved remarkably successful for the Emerald Serpent fleet, who were able to see off the alien fleet without taking any significant losses. Investigating the destroyed husks of some of the xenos vessels, the heretic biologis magi were able to ascertain that the genetic markers were indeed indicative of R'Lyeh, but that some elements of Nemesis were also present. This deeply concerned the Emerald Serpent, as it now appeared that the threat of hive fleet Nemesis, believed to have passed, had now morphed into something new and alarming.

Iron Warriors halt imperial advance

In 2902.20M42 the Ultramarines, having made planetfall days earlier, were prepared for an offensive on Mordecai Secundus. Unbeknownst to the Ultramarines however, traitors within the Imperial ranks had slipped their plans to the Iron Warriors who prepared their own attack before sons of Guilliman could even get on the move. On the horizon, the Ultramarines spotted a veritable horde of Daemonic Engines of all shapes and sizes and to their credit quickly prepared fortified positions centred around the ruins, creating a makeshift fortress for the Iron Warriors to assault. The Ultramarines expected little heavy firepower for such an assault focussed force, however, before their Devastator Lascannon squads could fire, Helldrakes screamed overhead and incinerating them. The Ultramarines stood firm and massed bolter fire shredded a Maulerfiend that had ranged ahead of the Daemonic pack.

The Ultramarines found losing fully half of their Lascannons left them at a disadvantage, but they adapted, using massed bolter fire to bring down a second daemonic beast and wounding several others, it was not enough however and the Daemon engines struck their line as one. In melee the Ultramarines found themselves woefully outclassed and underprepared for the heavily armoured daemon engines, had they had Thunder Hammers or Powerfists it may have been different, but combat blades and Krak grenades were no match. The Aggressors, having inflicted early engine kills, were the target of every Baleflamer weapon the Daemon Engine horde could bring to bear, and were incinerated one by one. The Ultramarines, were pinned to the ruins they had made their makeshift fortress and were slaughtered one by one.

News of the loss of the Ultramarine reinforcements was received with shock by General Kutusov’s staff. It was expected that their arrival would mean the purification of Mordecai Secundus could accelerate but for now, grinding warfare would have to continue. They had the manpower, but did they have the time?

Fort Rhagrim falls to imperium

Having secured their position on Mordecai Secundus and having taken the Abram Mines, Kutuzov now turned to the most difficult chaos position now facing his front line, fort Rhargrim. 

The chaos fortress lay at the western end of the line of fortifications that stood between the forces of the imperium and the major city of Festergax Primus. Rhagrim protected the the city and also provided an effective block on any outflanking move from the west. 

Defended by the Death Guard, the chaos fortress presented a substantial obstacle to the imperium, and the imperial army was able to call on an entire Novgorod army, as well as help from the Grey Knights. This gave the attack mobility, and as the Novgorod forces began a brutal frontal assault the astartes used this mobility to confuse and harass the enemy forces. After a lengthy battle, the fortress was finally isolated and stormed. Casualties were high, especially on the chaos side, but while the attack had unhinged the chaos defence line, the imperial army wasn’t immediately able to further exploit the success. Nonetheless, the fall of Fort Rhagrim was a significant breakthrough for the invading armies of the imperium.