Bastien Latest

Bastien counter attack: Southern Front

While the Imperium was reeling in the north from the ferocity of the Anticross attack, their prospects in the south were somehwat better. The Chaos counter attack here was to be lead by the Claws of Lorek, with mercenary ork and Covenant support. As in the north the Adeptus Astartes were employed to blunt the attack, with the Space Wolves and Dark Angels working together to stop the Chaos assault in its tracks.

The Imperial pre-emptive strike began well, with the Space Wolves ambushing the Claws of Lorek forces spearheading the drive towards the southern Imperial defence lines. Lorek knew that failure here would mean the loss of Meshuggah and Reaverton, which would be a severe blow. The Space Wolves knew this too, and after dispatching the lead elements of the enemy force, secured a path for the Imperial Guard following up to surround Mesuggah. They held on to this for several days, but due to events in the desert they would be forced to withdraw.

Further south the Dark Angels were looking for the Orks of Thrugnik, a new Ork warlord who had apparently accepted the pay of the "Master of Chaos" in order to secure himself loot, booty, glory and bloodshed. The Dark Angels succeeded in their task but were quickly overwhelmed by greenskin numbers. Imperial intelligence on this had been incorrect and the Space Marines barely managed to extricate themselves from the jaws of the advancing greenskin horde. The Orks then turned north, threatening to cut the Space Wolves off. Amid much acrimonious debate and cries of treachery by both the Dark Angels and Space Wolves, the latter were forced to abandon their forward position.

On 2410.010M42 General Veers took charge in the south, deploying the main force of his army here for a "big push", a war of attrition designed to grind down the Chaos forces in the knowledge that he could replace his losses the faster. Veers also quietly asked for no more help from the Space Wolves and Dark Angels, who were blaming each other for the lack of progress so far. Veers feared they would turn on each other, so it was the Imperial Guard who now moved up to deal what Veers hoped would be the final blow to the Claws of Lorek and their dominion in the south of Bastien.

The broad front advance went well to begin with as Caldon Guard regiments ground down the traitor guard units of the Covenant, opening a gap and allowing the Librian 99th Mechanised and Prozan 3rd Cavalry to push through to Meshuggah. The city fell after a brief battle on 2510.010M42, but the forces of Chaos soon responded. On 2710.010M42 the counter attack came as the Claws elite marine forces, backed up by Covenant reserves moving in from Reaverton, pushed into the city.

Both sides used heavy artillery extensively, levelling the settlement and creating a hellish battlefield of stray rounds and deafening explosions. The Librians, furthest forward, though supported by Prozan Stormtroopers, weathered the initial onslaught, causing carnage in the Covenant ranks. The Prozan Stormtroopers excelled too, charging enemy rhinos armed only with krak grenades, often destroying the transports heroically before being wiped out. One day into the fighting Veers ordered in the Prozan airborne units to bolster the line.

The air cavalry assault was less than successful as the Covenant and traitor astartes units were suddenly reinforced, at exactly the right moment, by deep striking obliterators which made light work of the thinly armoured vendettas and valkyries. Most were downed upon arrival and the obvious losses being taken by their comrades seemed to have an effect on the Librian veterans holding the Imperial right flank. Firing wildly at the approach of a force of land raiders, hitting nothing, the Imperial right flank wavered, then broke, allowing the chaos forces a foothold in the east of the city.

The battle to the west and in the outskirts of Meshuggah was no less brutal, and here the loss of the airborne cavalry was felt the hardest. Although by 2810.010M42 the Imperial right flank had stopped running, it was clear to Veers that to stay defending Meshuggah meant being surrounded. The next day a bitterly disappointed Lord General ordered the retreat.

In the south the Imperium had lost thousands of men and hundreds of tanks and airborne carriers. The Dark Angels had lost a quarter of a chapter and the Imperium had taken just a few hundred miles of worthless desert. Even so, the Chaos counter attack had not been a spectacular success, and in fact the enemy had lost more ground than it had taken, and Lorek himself had lost some prestige amongst his fellow Chaos commanders. The war on Bastien would go on...

Bastien counter attack: Northern Front

After months of inactivity the war on Bastien heated up once more in the second half of 10.010M42 as the forces of chaos launched a counter attack in the north and south of the planet, at either end of the barren acidic sea which dominated much of the western hempsiphere. The build up was not subtle behind the traitor lines and Imperial Intelligence knew full well that an assault was coming. To head this off General Veers received aid from no fewer than three space marine chapters, the Dark Angels, Space Wolves and Lamenters all sending a company of astartes warriors and support.

In the north the Lamenters attacked just at the time the forces of Chaos, led here by the Anticross, were about to launch their own offensive. The astartes forces ploughed into the cultist forces supporting the attack and made their way to the centre of the Anticross elite forces. However at that moment on 1810.010M42 the leaders of that chaos faction summoned a host of daemons which immediately fell upon the Lamenters. Outnumbered and cut off from supply, the brave if rash marines were cut down one by one in a costly action which allowed Chaos forces to surround and quickly take the city of Imperious.

By 2110.010M42 the Imperial line in the north, weakened by the loss of several front line units since 05.010M42, began to crumble. Soon cultist and Anticross forces had bypassed and cutoff a regiment of Praetorians at the original landing grounds of the Imperial HQ. Daemons were once again summoned and most of the Praetorians were butchered. The landing base was destroyed utterly and by 2610.010M42 the momentum of the advance was well and truly with Chaos.

The Lamenters however refused to admit defeat and devised a clever strategy to reverse the dwindling Imperial fortunes. On 2710.010M42 a small force of Lamenters assaulted Imperious from the air. Well behind the front lines by now, the city was defended by Covenant of Damnation traitor guard forces, no match for the Adeptus Astartes. The Space Marines tore into their lines and seized all the key installations in the city, allowing Imperial Guard regiments to land via specially modified barges. This flanking action undermined the Anticross advance and astutely they withdrew, abandoning most of their games in their haste to avoid being surrounded.

By the end of 10.010M42 the action had petered out and the lines returned to a more static affair. The assault had been costly for both sides and it had looked likely that the Imperium would lose control of the north. However, the timely actions of the Lamenters more than made up for their earlier errors, preventing the north and the city of Imperious from falling back into Chaos hands.

Betor Latest

Tyranids progress on Betor

During 10.010M42 the situation in the south of Betor continued to deteriorate as wave after wave of Tyranids swarmed across the southern deserts towards Munchefeld. The city was defended by a company of the Caldon Guard, a regiment newly arrived in the Aleph sector and posted to Betor in the hopes of shoring up the Imperium's crumbling defences there. Although fresh and well equipped the men of the Caldon Guard were unprepared for the mind numbing horror and scale of the Tyranid attack. Their prepared positions were quickly swamped by the tide of writhing alien bodies.

Munchefeld was packed with desperate refugees from the destroyed north eastern provinces. They had nowhere left to flee and the Tyranids marauded through the streets, slaughtering the populous and preparing them for absorption into the hive. As the feeding frenzy neared its height the surviving civilians barricaded themselves into the buildings of the central administratum district and Arbites courthouse. There they prayed to the Emperor for salvation and to their wonder and awe they were answered!

Descending on pillars of fire, angelic warriors of the Emperor's Space Marines dropped directly into the writhing masses of bio-engineered killing machines. There they set about clearing the infestation with bolter and power sword. In some of the most brutal close quarter fighting yet seen on Betor they cleansed the central districts one street at a time, leaving them piled high with xenos corpses. Then, as suddenly as they had arrived they departed, vanishing without comment and seemingly uncaring of the joyous citations of the grateful populous. Their unlooked for intervention gave the remnants of the Caldon Guard the opening they needed and they quickly moved to retake the city. Nemesis was still disrupted and confused from the brutality of the marine assault but even so it was hard going. Casualties mounted and slowly the guardsmen re-asserted their control on the cities central districts.


In an effort to sustain the counter attack a task force of Astartes of the Red Angels chapter arrived to continue the offensive. Their recklessness proved to be ill judged however when Nemesis proved to be less weakened than intelligence suggested. A forward reconnaissance patrol was ambushed and butchered by waves of Tyranids as they moved through one of the cities central parks leaving only a single survivor. Realising the danger of a break through the lone marine called in an air strike from the chapter's Thunderhawk gunships to contain the outbreak. Hundreds of Tyranids were obliterated in the bombing run but so to was the valuable gene-seed of the chapter's fallen.

The brutal fighting continued with the fate of Munchefeld held in the balance. There could be no retreat for the Imperial forces stationed there. There was nowhere left to retreat to. They would win or they would die.

Chaos Intrigue and Plot

With the Imperium hampered by Necron incursions and making little if any headway on Bastien, the forces of Chaos continued their efforts to consolidate their hold over their own forces and, if possible, secure new allies in their war against mankind.

The Claws of Lorek had already unsuccessfully attempted to bully the Dark Eldar in the region into joining forces with them, and the result was an angry Dark Eldar warband on the loose in the Perseus Deeps. Eventually however the forces of the Anticross caught up with them when they tried to raid Blight, inflicting a heavy defeat on the aliens.

Meanwhile the Claws of Lorek had troubles closer to home on Bastien itself. Millions of cultists, bandits and general outlaws had joined the crusade against the Imperium and the defence of Bastien. Now however some Guard units were getting out of control. Lorek decided to intervene, raising a host of daemons with the intention of putting down any rebellion before it could begin. He was disappointed however when the daemons he summoned were swiftly banished back to their non corporeal realm.

The Traitor Guard units on and around Bastien became less and less manageable in early 10.010M42 and many felt that the Claws were beginning to lose control over their forces. A potential pact between the forces of Chaos and the Orks was ruined on 1310.010M42 when traitor Guard units attacked the force of Orks Lorek was trying to engage with. The Guard regiment in question was defeated and an ork raiding party with its blood up was added to the woes of the Master of Chaos. The Imperium meanwhile continued to step up preparation for a new offensive on Bastien with extensive manoeuvres involving the Caldon Guard and Space Wolves.

Tarsis Major Latest

Tarsis: Imperial offensive falls flat

Following the defeat of Strongspear's Tau forces in late 09.010M42 the Imperium continued to pile on the pressure, advancing east towards Tarsis Prime across the plains of Tuva. Two weeks into this advance however the Imperial high command began to worry. The Tau were giving ground in the worthless open plain but eventually they would make a stand somewhere before the strategically vital capital of the planet.

Cunningham continued to advance on a broad front, knowing this would be the best plan to employ against the Tau, adding regiments of Caldon Guard to his forces in the north. The Caldons had recently arrived and unlike the Prozans were fresh and not battle fatigued. On 0310.010M42 Cunningham moved the Caldon Guard into the front line to continue the assault.

At the very time of the switch Strongspear counter attacked, throwing in his best hunter cadres against the new arrivals. In the centre of the new active front crisis suits advanced followed by Tau on foot. Against the veteran soldiers of the Imperium they faired poorly, torn to pieces by plasma shots and lascannons. However this was not Strongspear's main assault. That came to the north, with a wide flanking move employing devilfish troop transports and stealth suits, backed up by an ample supply of hammerhead and broadside railguns.

Initially it seemd that the largely static lines of Caldon Guard, supported by plasma and lascannon weaponry as well as numerous sentinel scout walkers and Leman Russ tanks, would hold of the Tau advance. The casualties they caused in the Tau centre caused the aliens to waver, and a whole section of Strongspear's troops began to fall back. The decisive blow came in the north however, and once the railguns of the Tau began to get to grips with the Imperial Leman Russ tanks and sentinels the Guard forces could nto respond to the fast moving Tau. By 1110.010M42 the Tau had secured their main objective, the Imperial supply line on the main road to Tarsis Prime.

Realising his predicament General Cunningham reluctantly pulled his troops out of the line and retreated back to the mountains. The Imperium had suffered more heavy casualties and yet by 1610.010M42 the Tau were right back where they started some two months before. The Imperial attack of autumn 010M42 had failed.

Perseus Deeps Current

Chaos in the Deeps

While Minos was under attack the forces of chaos were also in battle against one another. On Ares a mighty clash of daemonic hordes decided the fate of the planet, with Khorne overcoming Tzeentch to claim the prize. The psychic howls of daemons plagued the sleep of many psykers inhabiting the Deeps, and twelve on Corticant in the service of the Emperor had to be euthanised. Meanwhile on Bastien the internal rivalry between the various factions saw the forces of the Anticross decimate a human army dedicated to a mysterious new arrival to the planet. These fresh troops poured into Bastien's defences, but the the amazement and amusement of the Imperium seemed more intent on fighting with the other factions. Other Imperial analyticae worried that once the battle had been won the hierarchy would be established and once more the forces of chaos would be united in opposition to their invasion.

Chaos assault Minos

The forces of Chaos, aware of the Imperium's difficulties in the Perseus Deeps, but still reluctant to launch a major offensive against them and risk annihilation, chose to attempt to further complicate the Imperial cause by cutting their lines of supply. Once again Lorek turned his gaze to the small Tau outpost of Minos, and he was more than happy to turn the hordes of chaos traitors which had flocked to his banner against the aliens, rather than risk his own precious marine legions.

And so on 02.010M42 Admiral Thok's fleet arrived in orbit around Minos. The Tau were unable to match the chaos firepower in space and fled, as thousands of traitor guardsmen dropped, almost literally, into combat on the ground. Many cultists died in the landings, and the drop zones were turned into a hellish cratered wasteland. Rather than let them recover from the uncoordinated drops commander Fastblade sent his mechanised units in against the human armies, tearing their remnants apart with railguns, missiles and pulse rifles.

Despite bravery and accurate fire from the traitor guard units, their losses were appalling. Three days after the initial invasion the chaos fleet left, understanding there was no hope of capturing the Tau settlement. Thousands of traitor guardsmen were left to be wiped out by the Tau. Lorek and the other chaos commanders, though disappointed at the failed landings, grieved little for the loss of so much insignificant life.

Necrons plague Imperial crusade

As 10.010M42 began Lord General Veers was still keen to get the crusade against chaos underway once more. For months the advance had stalled and the front lines had barely moved on Bastien. The creation of a new daemonworld on Ares convinced the Lord General even more that action against chaos needed to happen now. However his resources were stretched and his supply lines under threat. Admiral Jellicoe's fleet had lost several ships which were forced to return to Caitlen station for proper refits, while the bulk of the fleet was on duty protecting and defending convoys to the forces on Corticant and Bastien.

By far the most troublesome thorn in Veers' side was the necron threat. Despite securing Aganthus, Cathasaea was now a known tombworld. So far the inquisition had not ascertained its strength or level of awakening, so Veers allocated two of his newest Guard regiments and a company of Red Angels to investigate.

The Imperium landed to no resistance on the ground, but as soon as Inquisitor Huron, leading the expedition, approached a forbidding complex of obsidian clad structures the dreaded necrons appeared from out of apparently nowhere. Fortunately Huron was prepared, supported by a brigade of Guardsmen, who managed to vanquish the first enemy wave sent across the harsh terrain of the planet's northern hemisphere. It was a close run thing however, and exuberance on the part of the Imperial Guard almost allowed the necrons to cut them off from their landing zone.

The victory did however allow Huron to continue his investigations. Then, on 0410.010M42, four days into the expedition, the Necrons attacked in force again, this time in greater numbers. Huron ordered the Guard back and began re-embarking his forces. There were too many Necrons for his small force, but the Red Angels volunteered to stay behind to defend the landing perimeter. The necrons showed them no mercy, and few of the chapter made it back to the Imperial base on Aganthus.
Huron's expedition had only half succeeded. He had found out the planet was indeed home to a mighty force of Necrontyr, and even a fleet of warships. How long it would before they fully awoke, if they awoke at all, he could not say, and Veers refused to give the Inquisitor any more of his forces, whatever his rank and privilege demanded!

Tarsis: Prozan cavalry launch new offensive

The bitter fight for Tarsis Major had become yet another grinding stalemate against the Tau. Cunnigham’s forces had dug in to north of the Tuva Plains but Fish Face was beginning to play the Guard at their own game. It was well-known amongst the Imperial High Command that the Tau would rapidly adapt their equipment and tactic specifically to a chosen foe… but now they changed their entire ethos. They had fortified their positions, held their ground. Now the Imperial army was feeling the pinch.

General Cunnigham was intent on winning the war on Tarsis. This had become a grudge match between the two species. Echoes of Melberg and Myrentas were clear for all to see. The spectres of those grim and hard-fought campaigns lingered in the collective minds of the commanders on both sides of the conflict. This was less a war and more a matter of pride.

General Stonewall had been tasked with “renewing the momentum of the war” against the Tau. He and Cunnigham conceived of a combined attack to re-open the front. The Prozan Airmobile Cavalry would strike deep and fast across the Tau lines and secure forward positions. The armoured ground forces would then further open and exploit these corridors in an attempt to engage to Tau army piece-meal.

On 02.010M42 Colonel Moore had the honour of leading his 7th Cavalry Brigade across the Tuva plain. At dawn’s first light the bugle call heralded the flight of scores of Valkyrie assault carries, escorted by Vendetta and Vulture gunships, spearheading across the front. Their mission was to capture Landing Zone Alpha- a township that, though practically destroyed by the months of war, remained a viable strategic point owing to its excellent road networks that would allow the rapid advance of tanks and mechanised troops across the front lines.

The airborne assault took Fish Face completely off guard. In perfect co-ordination the 7th Cavalry swept down upon the town to ambush the Tau armour that was defending that area of the front. The Glory Boys had proven today that their bravado was not idle boasting. Using their grav-chutes they dropped into the midst of the enemy and despatched several armoured vehicles before rushing for cover. As one wave, the gunships and assault carriers bore down on the outnumbered Tau.

Ol’ blue skin was not about to give up without a fight. A detachment of Broadside Battlesuits, concealed within the ruins of and old factory complex, showered the incoming cavalry with railgun rounds. They quickly downed several gunships and caused heavy damage to many more. The Tau recognised the threat posed by the gunships and lent the greatest weight of their firepower to bringing these down first.

The cavalry was unperturbed and forged ahead to the landing zone. With much of the Tau armour neutralised only infantry were left to stand in the way. As the hardened veterans of the 7th dismounted to assault the enemy positions the Tau called in their reinforcements and counter-attacked in kind- a most unexpected turn of events given this species predilection for ranged warfare. More Tau reinforcements closed in from the east, battlesuits of all designations bent on eliminating the assault carriers before more of the veterans could reach their targets.

By 1700 hours the skirmishing for Landing Zone Alpha had degenerated in bitter close-quarter fighting. Gradually, with dogged determination, the 7th gained the upper hand and the Tau infantry were put to flight. The Tau reinforcements, having been on the verge of closing in for the kill, saw their comrades break. As they attempted to consolidate and regroup for a second attack the surviving gunships and carriers of the 7th rounded on them. Suppressed by the great weight of fire brought against them, and without any air support of their own to counter this new threat, the Tau were forced to concede the field. The pennant of the 7th cavalry was raised proudly over Landing Zone Alpha at 2000 hours.

Moore surveyed the field; dozens of blazing and wrecked flyers and enemy tanks littered the town. He had lost no small number of his own men and the Glory Boys had taken heavy casualties, having driven hard into the enemy’s centre ground. But today the 7th Cavalry had proved their worth.

“Sir, sentry detail is organised, sir.” Moore turned to see Lieutenant Briggs standing stiffly at salute. He was dirty and bruised and his left leg was heavily bandaged, though he seemed not to notice. “Look-outs are in position in the munitions factory and the tower block, sir”

“Good work, Lieutenant” Moore’s drawl instantly betrayed his Catachan roots. Many in the Prozan 7th hailed from that forbidding world. Growing up their had made them tough fighters, every man of them. Today they had needed it, and the fighting was only going to get harder from here.

“As soon as General Cunnigham’s boys get here you tell the men to saddle up- Next stop, Landing Zone Beta.”

Aganthus secured for Imperium

In late 09.010M42 the Perseus Deeps campaign finally gained new momentum following the deployment of new forces. This was largely due to the influence and reputation of Maximillian Veers, who petitioned for replacements for the departing Porphyrian, Corellian and Groznyian regiments. In 09.010M42 new regiments of guard had arrived, though fewer than Veers requested, but enough for the lord General to continue his crusade.

While maintaining a defensive posture on Bastien Veers continued his efforts to control all the minor systems he could, launching a simultaneous assault on Cathasaea and Aganthus, particularly against the forces of the eldar which had been identified on Cathasaea, and continuing the fight the Dark Angels had begun on Aganthus.

The new regiments of Guard performed well in this operation, overpowering the eldar defences on Aganthus and wiping them out on Cathasaea. By 2509.010M42 aganthus was wholly under Imperial control and it appeared that Cathasaea was also. Jubilant, Veers began the fortification of Aganthus and planned to land more forces to secure the unexplored regions of Cathasaea. He would never get the chance...

Cathasaea claimed by Necrons

Unknown to the Imperium the eldar had been on Cathasaea for a reason. They knew the world to be an ancient resting place of the dreaded necrons and had stationed a force on the world to watch for any necron activity. They were totally unprepared for the Imperial invasion and cursed the Mon Keigh for fools as they were forced to abandon the planet.It gave the eldar no pleasure to observe the destruction of their vanquishers some days later, when the clumsy humans blundered into an ancient crypt and awoke the slumbering necron army dwelling within.

Almost a regiment of Guard were wiped out in the ensuing battle, but a determined last stand allowed at least a portion of the Imperial forces to escape back to Corticant, abandoning Cathasaea to the enemy.With three worlds in the Deeps now off limits and known to be under the dominion of the Necrons, some of Veers’ closest advisors began to suggest that it was the ancient threat of the Necrontyr, and not Chaos, which now ought to be of paramount importance. Many of these advisors soon found themselves looking for alternative employment.

Lorek raids the Orks

With Veers’ crusade on Bastien stalled pending further reinforcement, Lorek was not idle. Realising the strategic importance of Ares, which if taken would completely isolate his hold on Bastien and the world of Parthenope, Lorek decided to fortify it as much as he could, and the best way to do that would be to create another dread daemonworld.

To ensure no interruptions to the rituals required, the Orks of Zog would need to be neutralised, and their ability to make war outside of their own system removed. Lorek chose to do this in the most efficient manner possible, sending a very small team in a sleek warship almost undetectable to Jellicoe’s warfleet patrolling the area.

After a week travelling through the immaterium with the Imperium in blissful ignorance, the ship arrived in the Zog system, disembarking its tiny force of five trusted warriors. These five however were about to unleash hell on the Orks of Zog.

Lorek’s small force had with them the ability to summon daemons, and beasts of the warp loyal to Lorek were duly unleashed in the unsuspecting Orks. In the battles which followed the daemons managed to wreak havoc in the factories and spaceports of Zog, despite eventually being banished back to their other-worldy domain. There was no massacre of greenskins, but Lorek’s raid had done just enough to ensure the Orks would not be a problem to the events now unfolding on Ares.

On 3009.010M42, with a psychic shreak which was felt by those sensitive as far away as Tarsis Major, the world of Ares became the third planet under Lorek’s control to ascend to daemonhood.

Aleph Sector Map

Perseus Deeps Raids

While the war on Bastien continues, and with Lorek in the ascendency, the Anticross, chastened, pursued their own goals in the Perseus Deeps. An attack on the Tau colony of Minos launched from Parthenope was successful, and yielded a number of vital raw materials for the Chaos faction. A similar scouting raid on the known tomb world of Gamador faired less well as the Anticross found that the Necrons had not returned to their slumber. The forces of Chaos were attacked as soon as they landed and after an inconclusive firefight the Anticross left the planet to the strange alien race.

Meanwhile the Dark Angels continued what the Blood Angels had begun on Cathasaea. Using ancient technology under the guidance of the Adeptus Mechanicus the space marines systematically hunted down the Eldar forces hiding out on the planet. The Mechanicus were able to locate the planet's ancient wraithbone infinity circuit, and the Dark Angels would lie in wait while Mechanicus and Ministorium work parties attempted to destroy the circuit's nodes. Forced to protect it, the Eldar rushed in and were duly were surprised by the Dark Angels again and again, and by late 06.010M42 only a few pockets of resistance remained.

Guard regiments withdrawn

In 06.010M42 the Perseus Deeps crusade received a slight setback when sector and segmentum priorities saw several regiments under Veers’ command removed and redeployed to other duties.

The Groznian 1503rd were seconded into the service of Inquisitor Rogerson and were to be away on an extended mission of extreme importance to the imperium (to wit Rogerson was pursuing a rogue psyker through a series of barely inhabited planets and the Groznians were to be used to scour those planets and force the psyker out of hiding that Rogerson could confront him).

In addition the breaking point of the Porphyrian regiments in the Aleph sector had been reached. General Ibrahim had to inform Imperial Command that all remaining Porphyrian units in the sector were to be demobilised and hence no longer available for combat duty for at least a year.

At the end of 06.010M42 command of Operational Ground Forces on Bastion was passed from Major General Petraeus to the Cerberex Guard following Patraeus' redeployment. Crusader-General Mallius Maximus Veers, Knight Commander of Corellia retained his position as Overseer of the Crusade, but now with a substantially reduced force. The war on Bastien would not be over quickly now.

Bastien: Chaos counter attack

06.010M42 finally saw a meaningful counter-attack on Bastien. Following Lorek’s victory over the Anticross he was able to wield his authority over Bastien’s forces, and an organised counter attack soon followed. The Claws attacked in the north, where they had recently lost ground to the Porphyrians and Groznians. The latter had been withdrawn and the front line had been weakened. When the attack came Lorek unleashed his daemons once more and the Dark Angels rapidly moved to block them.

The Marines however suffered badly for once in their encounter with the daemonic legions of Lorek. Taking heavy casualties they withdrew, allowing the Claws to move rapidly along the coast of the boiling sea, outflanking the Damnation defence line and leaving the Porphyrian Guard dangerously exposed.

The Porphyrians, veterans in fighting chaos and daemonic armies could have been expected to hold firm and stop the counter attack, but their commanders knew they were about to be demobilised for refit and many saw no reason to waste Porphyrian lives needlessly. Much to the irritation of General Veers the Porphyrians withdrew to the Imperial base to the north of Imperius and left the crusade. The Claws of Lorek were stopped at the gates of the city, but much of the strategic depth of Veers’ northern defence had been lost.

Bastien Latest

Valboris Map

Valboris: Nemesis overruns Trinity

As the full scale of the Tyranid infestation on Valboris became apparent the planet's chaos overlords desperately sought for a way to stem the tide. With the majority of the traitor legions engaged in the defence of Bastien and the Catechism notable only by their absence the warlords were left with no choice but to treaty with the Gods of Chaos themselves for aid. Through week long rituals of blood and sacrifice and the promise of immortal souls the Dark Gods at last saw fit to gift their repulsive minions with the presence of their power made manifest.

As reality stretched thin a tear in the fabric of the material realm opened, vomiting a stream of gibbering daemons into the heart of the Tyranid swarm. Their target was a massive winged Tyrant who seemed to be directing the attack. The Tyranids, incapable of fear, responded with single minded purpose attacking the daemons head on. Despite succeeding in bringing down the Tyrant the cost to the forces of chaos was impossibly high and all the daemons were banished back into the warp, barely slowing the waves of Tyranids that washed over them. The warlords of Valboris would need to make further sacrifice to stand any chance of stemming the tide, and next time the price demanded by their capricious gods would be higher still.

Tarsis Major: Battle of Fort Frontera

After a long period of stalemate the recent gains on Tarsis had been lost to a renewed Imperial offensive. As it began to gather momentum the Tau coalition on Tarsis received fresh re-enforcements. The Ethereals had decreed that whilst the Tau held overall control of Tarsis the continuing low level war was becoming a drain on the Empire's limited resources and that the Greater Good could best be served by bringing the war to a swift and decisive end.

With the material to launch a significant offensive at last at his disposal Commander Shadowstrike devised a plan to turn the Imperium's successful offensive against them. Predictably the humans, with their obsession on claiming territory and locations of political significance were grinding towards the planetary capital, Tarsis Prime. The drive was horribly vulnerable to encirclement but the Tau were prevented from exercising their air power by a newly constructed defence laser silo surrounded by a defensive bunker complex called Fort Frontera.

A contingent of Shadowstrike's own cadres and Commander Moonshine's newly arrived forces were tasked with capturing or eliminating the complex. An initial bombardment of guided seeker missiles destroyed some of the complex and forced its evacuation before the Tau attack commenced. As one of Shadowstrike's Emergent Crisis Cadres made its way through the ruins of the complex, one of Moonshine's more heavily equipped Heavy Blocking Cadres attacked across the planes to the south.

The attack began well as a blizzard of incoming missiles and railgun munitions suppressed the fort's garrison. But then orbital satellites and surveillance drones picked up an incoming wave of Valkyrie and Vendetta gunships scrambled to help the beleaguered garrison. The air caste were unable to intercept the attack whilst the fort was still active leaving Shadowstrike helpless to intervene. The initial blow was heavy as the airborne attack, Imperial commandos hiding within the ruined complex and fire from the heartened Librian's destroyed or incapacitated much of Shadowstrike's tank support. Shadowstrike's Kroot auxiliaries who had been spearheading the attack also suffered heavy casualties and were forced to retreat or face annihilation.

Just as it seemed that the attack would surely fail Moonshine's cadres responded. As they roared towards the bunker complex the Prozan's ran into a virtual wall of railgun and missile fire. Maintaining fire discipline the Tau brought down the Prozan gunships one after another whilst the Librians also began to suffer heavy losses to their tank formations. The fighting within the complex became brutal as Shadowstrike's suites and fire warriors, largely untouched by the Prozan attack, fell upon the confused survivors without mercy as they tried to escape the wreckage of their crashed gunships.

But despite the massive casualties taken by the Prozan cavalry and Librian tank regiments they had succeeded in blunting Shadowstrike's attack, allowing mechanised units of veteran Librian infantry to recapture the bunker housing the defence laser. Although they were trapped within the bunker by the resurgent Tau forces Shadowstrike knew the attack faced failure if the defence laser could not be neutralised. Understanding his duty to the greater good, the commander of one of Shadowstrike's last remaining hammerhead gunships rammed the defence laser itself, damaging it.

It wouldn't take long to repair but the Imperials would never get the chance. Mantas waiting at air bases around Silverbrook took to the skies to deliver their assault cadres to strategic points throughout the region. With the majority of strategic positions around Fort Frontera in Tau hands and the complex itself compromised the Librian's and last remnants of the Prozan cavalry withdrew rather than face encirclement and capture. Soon the Tau had regained the ground they had lost to the Imperial offensive and once more threatened the Grenton mines.

The Voice of Freedom!

In an attempt to bring the war to a swift end and secure support amongst the civilian population and weary guard regiments the Tau water caste have launched “Vox Freedom”. Despite constant attempts by Imperial intelligence to jam the transmissions Vox Freedom continues to broadcast its unique mix of news, current affairs, music and documentaries about the amazing lifestyle enjoyed by the citizen's in Tau occupied territory.

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Tarsis Major: Colonel Moore ejects Strongspear

Tau commander Moonshine had made the initial landings on Sartano and unlocked the door to the south, but it would be Strongspear's forces, in late 05.010M42 far more numerous than Moonshine's, who would be expected to continue the advance. Once Strongspear's cadres had moved through those of Moonshine, the newer commander withdrew back to Tuva and Strongspear's forces began moving further inland, heading for the industrial capital of Sartano.

Strongspear's forces were highly mechanised and covered ground quickly. The main Imperial strongpoint lay ahead, where the jungle and wetlands of the coastal region gave way to a wide river valley where factories stretched from horizon to horizon. If they were allowed to get into the built up industrial zone, the Imperium would have trouble shifting them, so Cunningham sent in COlonel Moore's Prozan 7th cavalry at the vital crossroads of Farinelli.

Strongspear's armoured spearhead was making its way straight towards the vital strategic objective of Farinelli, and at first only a few units of scouting strom troopers were encountered. The Tau easily dealt with these and the sporadic artillery which was being launched, rather speculatively, from the industrial zone in the valley below Farinelli. However, at 0900 on 3105.010M42 the Prozan cavalry arrived, determined to ensure the Tau did not break through to the Sartano industrial zone.

The Prozans faced difficulties from the start as their Vulture gunships were caught at long range by Hammerheads as they dealt with infiltrating Tau stealth suits. Most were disabled or destroyed. Next a wave of Vendetta gunships raced into the heart of Strongspear's formations, opening up and annihilating the Tau hammerhead tanks but facing the entirety of Strongspear's firepower. Their retribution was swift and the entire wave of Vendettas was lost. The Tau were now without tanks support, but were still moving closer to the crossroads.

As night approached the remainder of the Prozan regiment arrived, moving their Valkyrie transports directly to the vital objectives of the town. There they hunkered down and blew apart any Tau forces which attempted to break into the settlement. The Tau had been stopped. Over the next few days. with the Tau pinned at Farinelli, General Cunningham was able to outflank Strongspear on both sides, and the 7th Prozan Cavalry, despite taking heavy casualties, were involved once more. The regiment had its first victory over the Tau and Strongspear, frustrated, was force to abandon Sartano and the hard won gains made by Moonshine just days earlier.

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Civil war on Bastien

With losses on all fronts it was almost inevitable that the forces of chaos, unsteady allies at the best of times, would finally fall into fighting with themselves. After defeats on Bastien and elsewhere Lorek finally vented his rage on the Anticross, determined to teach them a lesson for their incompetence.

After verbally abusing the leader of his allies, Lorek launched an attack on their HQ, summoning a horde of loyal daemons to “teach the Anticross a lesson”. The damage to the Anticross headquarters was severe and several high ranking Anticross commanders were killed. Lorek had confirmed his status as the Master of Chaos for now and the Anticross reaffirmed their loyalty to the Claws and their rapidly crumbling empire.

Southern Bastien falls

As 05.010M42 the Imperial advance continued in the same vein as it had since the landings. Veers chose to rest his exhausted Corellian troops and now the Cerberex Guard regiments committed to the campaign were now unleashed. The men of Cerberex, well equipped and with a hatred of Chaos borne of the loss of their homeland, smashed into the defenders in the southern mountains and deserts of the planet.

Hundreds of thousands of guardsmen forged ahead, destroying the poorly equipped traitor guard units and only facing serious resistance where Anticross forces were supported by astartes troops. Even here the mechanised units of the Cerberex Guard were easily up to the task, a fact aided by the absolute superiority in space and the air.

By 0106.010M42 the entirety of southern Bastien was in Imperial hands and the defence line protecting the cities of Meshuggah and Reaverton had been reached. Veers now had his entire crusade force on the ground and the Catechism fleet had not reappeared. With the campaign going so well lord general Roover felt able to bestow more awards, giving medals to the commanders and some troopers of the Corellian, Cerberex, Groznian and Porphyrian regiments who had been instrumental in the campaign thus far.

Tarsis campaign heats up

By 2005.010M42 General Cunningham knew that an Imperial fleet with reinforcements was just weeks away from reaching Tarsis Major. Confident that he would soon be relieved and bolstered by the arrival of no fewer than two companies of Space Wolves, Cunningham drew up plans for a new offensive on the continents of Merrin and Tuva. Meabwhile the Tau too had quietly received commander Moonshine and several new hunter cadres, managing to conceal this arrival through adept use of their stealth technology.

For once both sides managed to surprise their enemy. In the north east on Merrin the Cerberex Guard launched a ferocious attack on Strongspear's forces in the Mertock mountains. The initial attacks by the highly mechanised Cerberex formation destroyed much of Strongspear's tanks and broadside battlesuits in the opening engagements from 26-2805.010M42 and the tau commander was hard pressed to stop the Imperial regiments. Initially he tried to send in reserves, and though these fought bravely they met a similar bloody fate. Fire warriors fell prey to Demolisher siege tanks and Hellhound flame tanks, while those mounted in Devilfish transport faired little better as low flying Vendetta gunships proved almost impossible to counter in the steep sided valleys of northern Merrin.

Unable to bring his air superiority to bear in such terrain Strongspear was forced back, abandonning much of the north western arm of the Mertock mountains and retaking the fort once held by the Iron Warriors earlier in the war. On 3105.010M42 the Cerberex advance finally ran out of momentum, but the Impperium now had a secure bridgehead in the north west and most of the important towns were back in Imperial control.

On Tuva the Space Marines led the charge, breaking a hole in the Tau lines in the Downside Desert, taking the main water pumping facilities and the sparse settlements of the desert following rapid insertion operations. With the Astartes troops taking what were effectively the keystones of the Tau defence, the desert became an untenable position for the aliens. They were forced back and soon took up more defensible positions on the Tuva plain outside the capital Tarsis Major.

While the Tau were being forced back in the north, commander Moonshine was landing his troops in the lush forests of Sartano, much to the surprise of General Culden who commanded the small garrison on the continent. No one had expected an assault on Sartano and the Imperial defences were unprepared, a fact which immediately lost Culden his job. After replacing his commander in the field Cunningham ordered the Prozan Cavalry to throw the Tau back into the Maybourne straits. The Prozan regiment was ideally suited to such an offensive and they deployed effectively using their valkyrie assault carriers to approach Moonshine from the heavily forested Sarton heights. Initially the assault went well, the Imperial mobility proving exceptionally useful against the Tau. However Moonshine's force, which contained a high proportion of Kroot mercenaries, was ideally suited to the terrain, and the Prozan's accuracy of fire was somewhat lacking. After five days of sporadic and highly mobile fighting the Tau clearly had the upper hand and the Prozans retreated to positions around the vital Industrial heartland of the continent.

Space Wolves land in Outer Rim

Although the sacrifice of the Porphyrian Guard bought the defenders time, the desperate and surrounded garrison of the asteroid mining installations around Tarsis could not hope to hold out against Shadowstrike's elite Hunter Cadres. But at the cost of their lives they did succeed in delaying the Tau still further, time which allowed the highly mobile formations of the feared Astartes to respond to this new threat. Thunderhawks launched from a Space Wolf strike cruiser landed packs at key points surrounding the central mining complex.

The tactic of lightning fast strikes falling from each point of the compass in quick succession would have thrown any other enemy into confusion, but Shadowstrike's cadres were veterans of the long and bitter Melberg and Tarsis campaigns. Although their normally textbook perfect patterns of fire and movement were severely disrupted by the densely packed mining rigs and pump houses the Tau managed to concentrate fire on each threat in turn, causing significant casualties on the lead waves. But not for nothing are the Space Wolves feared and renowned amongst the Emperor's enemies. Although largely protected by their stealth fields and countermeasures the cadre's supporting vehicles found themselves constantly disrupted by the Space Wolve's own supporting fire and their fire warriors suffered severe casualties in the brutal fighting for the facility's key central positions.

Held together by inspirational leadership from Shadowstrike's progeny, Shas'el Star Fire, the Tau succeeded in repelling the Space Wolves from the central areas, but the outskirts remained under Imperial control. Although the fighting gradually ground down into stalemate the Tau received reports of transports carrying supporting forces of the Imperial Guard inbound. Star Fire released his position was in danger of becoming untenable.

The Tau see no shame in abandoning an unfavourable position for tactical advantage and Star Fire understood that if he were to succeed in capturing the asteroid mining facilities he must conserves his forces and await the right time to strike. The Tau abandoned the wreckage of the mines to the humans for more secure positions in the labyrinth of caves that riddled the asteroids.

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Valboris Map

Valboris: Trinity infested

The reavers and pirates who pledge fealty to the chaos powers are not known for their community spirit, so it was weeks before anyone noticed or cared that no contact could be made with remote Frontiersville, situated in the planet's barren North Reach region. It was only when an armed warband sent to probe the settlement disappeared without trace that the interest of the traitor legions operating out of Valboris was aroused. Fearing rebellion and dissent, the Anticross faction dispatched a mechanised column to reconnoitre the settlement and make an example if necessary.

When they arrived on the outskirts of Frontiersville the traitor marines found the settlement ruined and its streets deserted. Cautiously they made their way deeper into the maze of rubble and hollow shells. Even so, they were caught by surprise when their lead vehicles were set upon and destroyed. Identification of the attackers was soon made: Tyranids!

The Anticross responded by launching a concerted and effective counter attack, bringing down the ambushers only to run into a second and much larger wave of Tyranids boiling out of the town's heart. With their lead elements being ripped to shreds and reports of further Tyranids arriving from behind them, The Anticross began a disciplined retreat from the jaws of the ambush, mauling the Tyranids attempting to cut off their retreat before escaping into the surrounding badlands on foot to await extraction, their transports and vehicles having been reduced to smouldering wreckage.

With much of their strength deployed to Bastion in their ongoing war with the Imperium the Traitor Legions were unable to contain the Tyranid threat as the tendril's of Nemesis spread across the Northern Reach and infested much of neighbouring Trinity before an effective defence could be mustered. The minions of chaos now faced a war on two fronts.

Betor: Tyranids strike south

By 05.010M42 the war against the Tyranids on Betor had almost become a forgotten war. With General Veers' crusade in the Perseus Deeps going well general Dempsey was denied all but the scantest of resources. Inquisitor Hathek lobbied for more, but his influence cut no ice with Imperial head quarters on Farport. To them the war against the Tyranids had been all but won once already, with fewer troops, Dempsey had more than adequate resources to prevent the loss of Betor and he should just get on with it.

While other Imperial agents continued to insist that hive fleet Nemesis was no more than an inconvenient splinter fleet, Tyranids boiled over the vast plains of Betor, swamping from all directions an isolated regiment of Groznians that attempted to slow their progress on Munchefeld. All contact was abruptly lost with the regiment and as far as anyone knew there were no survivors. Worse still the very planet itself seemed to be affected by the Tyranid presence, its tectonic stability degenerating and outbrakes of mass hysteria and insanity appearing amongst the civilian population and remaining defenders. An aide to Betor's High Command was even found sobbing uncontrollably in a broom cupboard screaming "The Hunger! The Hunger! IT THIRSTS!!!".

Nemesis cleansed from Lucardium

The Tendril of Nemesis which had reached Lucardium in late 009M42 had been mostly dormant since the initial planetfall, but the Tau commanders on Cernunnos were concerned the infestation could spread. Since then the Tau had been unable to mount a significant mission against the Tyranids in the deep valleys of Lucardium until the situation on Minos had been nrought under control. Following Moonshine’s victory over the Imperium on the smaller colony, a portion of his force was sent to Lucardium to clear xenos, while the rest were redeployed to Tarsis Major to reinforce Shadowstrike.

The fighting on Lucardium against the Tyranids was difficult and bloody, with the Tau taking heavy casualties. However with the Tyranids cut off from the rest of their hive mind, their attacks, though locally vicious and successful, were uncoordinated and ultimately futile. By 2805.010M42 the Tau had cleared the valleys and rid themselves once again of the alien menace.

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Aganthus landings

While Sentinell was being brought back to the Emperor’s divine light, the Blood Angels were landing on Aganthus, where Imperial intelligence of the highest secrecy had uncovered a link between the eldar fleet plaguing the Perseus warp lanes and the third planet of the system. Landing in force the Blood Angels initially faced no resistance, but soon the Imperial intelligence was proved correct as eldar forces were sighted.

The Blood Angels gave battle and their faith proved decisive as many of the aliens were ripped apart by bolter fire and chainsword. The initial force sent to rid their world of the Imperial invaders was utterly destroyed, and with Imperial guard support the Blood Angels widened their landing zone, determined to hunt down the xenos enemy and find out where the dangerous eldar fleet was coming from.

Sentinell seized

While the Imperial crusade on Bastien proceeded with astonishing speed and with almost unbelievable success, General Veers also had his eye on other worlds in the region. On Sentinell a small bridgehead had been established, and now the Raven guard were sent in to finish the job. The 5th Company, led by Shadow Captain Corvus arrived in the Sentinell system on 2305.010M42 and after an initial bombardment landed right on top of the Chaos headquarters in a lightning assault of shock and awe. Taken completely by surprise the Anticross forces, which had been much denuded to defend Bastien, were given no chance. Before they knew what hit them their vehicles were destroyed by fast moving assault squads, and the battle was over almost as soon as it had begun.

Sustaining minimal casualties Corvus led his company to glory personally, ripping apart armoured vehicles with his armoured limbs and hacking apart traitor marines with a righteous zeal. After the Anticross traitor marines had been dispatched, chaos resistence collapsed with alarming speed and the planet was soon under the control of the Imperium. Immediately Veers ordered the construction of defences and a base to provide even more support to the Perseus Deeps crusade.

Bastien: Chaos counter attack founders

Moonface’s four cruisers disappeared after forcing the Imperial fleet to disengage and the invasion of Bastien continued as 05.010M42 progressed. With the risk of attack from space still present Admiral Dreyer could not afford to abandon the continuing landings and urged General Veers to accelerate the campaign on the ground.

Veers now had most of his forces on the ground but even the lord general was astonished at how quickly events were progressing. Vaden had fallen quickly and Gehenna had been taken so swiftly there were hardly enough troops to garrison the hive. Further south the expected slaughter outside Bastien Primus had not occurred and Petraeus’s forces had simply swept all before them. Now Admiral Dreyer wanted them to go even faster...

The Imperial crusade was now well ahead of schedule and the forces of Chaos had proved to be far more disorganised, if just as numerous, as first thought. Now Petraeus was ordered to mount a blitzkrieg assault on Hades to take advantage of the awesome momentum the Imperium had built up.

To continue the advance with supply lines so stretched meant that Veers changed the drop zone for his last ten regiments. Instead of being deployed near Heretic, now renamed Imperius, the 100,000 Imperial guardsmen were landed outside Sanctum Nova, the new name of Bastien’s capital, leaving the eastern flank of the Imperial zone weakly defended by just four regiments, including the worst equipped – those of Grozny and Porphyria.

Veers new it was a risk but ignored the protestations of several under his command, arguing that the Chaos forces under Lorek would defend Hades to the last and try to stop the advance in the south. Lorek however had other ideas.

On 2205.010M42 the elite of the Anticross, supported by over half a million cultists, attacked the Imperial line in the north, supported by a host of summoned daemons. At first Veers believed it to be a diversion, but the ferocity of the assault soon convinced him otherwise. Crisis meetings were held in General Veers’ new HQ in Sanctum Nova as it seemed the Groznian 1503^rd and Porphyrian regiments would soon buckle under the pressure, but just as Imperial high command began to make plans to call a halt to the advance on Bastien, news from the front began to arrive.

Outside the city of Imperius the Porphyrians and Groznians were working well together, with the better equipped armoured forces of the Porphyrians pouring long range fire into the daemonic host assembled outside the settlement, while the Groznians fought with admirable faith and zeal against the Anticross in the city itself. Backed up by the Adeptus Sororitas the Imperial Guard regiments refused to give ground, and the Porhyrians used their experiences on Tarsis Major to good effect, blasting apart the heretical hordes and cleansing the land outside the newly blessed city.

Veers meanwhile, greatly encouraged by the news from the north ordered a full assault on Hades, which was defended only by poorly equipped cultist followers. Mere days later Hades had fallen to Petraeus’s armoured divisions, and mopping up operations had begun. By 2705.010M42 the Chaos counter attack on Imperius had been smashed, with traitor casualties numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Capitalising on this the Porphyrians led the way in a counter attack of their own, breaching the defensive Damnation line and reaching the outskirts of the city by 3005.010M42 while the Groznians were withdrawn for rest and replenishment.

By the end of 05.010M42 even the most zealous of traitors was having doubts about the ability of the Chaos alliance of the Anticross and Claws of Lorek to defeat the Imperium alone. Without the help of others, of Tragean, Thok, Shaidar Haran and particularly the Catechism, Bastien would fall. The question before all was would Lorek swallow his pride, and would Moonface listen?

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