The Battle of Alphe System

Finally in 10.009M42 a full naval battlegroup led by Illustrious under Commodore McManners arrived in the Alphe system. He knew his force, which included three cruisers as well as his flagship should be superior to the known forces of the Night Lords, which were orbiting the planet.

However, two days after his arrival hos astropaths reported a new force in the system. A patrol group of Swords sent to investigate reported that Admiral Thok had come to the invading powers’ aid, sending four cruisers, Jormungandr, Rheingeld, Naglfar and Skoll. This was terrible news. The Chaos ships were closing and McManners had no option but to give battle. The Night Lords fleet, and general Percival would have to wait.

The Chaos cruisers attacked head on, rapidly closing with the Imperial fleet and not keeping together, fearful of the Imperial fleet’s powerful Nova Cannon. McManners was pleased at this and gave the order to fire the Imperium’s most powerful fleet weapon. Sadly both Illustrious and Repulse were woefully inaccurate in their shooting, and failed to do any damage.

Even so the Chaos fleet was spilt up, with the carnage class Rheingeld far ahead of its consorts on the starboard bow, while Naglfar and Skoll skirted round to the port flank of the Imperial fleet. Meanwhile the grand cruiser Jormandandr approached sedately in the centre.

McManners deployed his two gothic class vessels, Hogue and Cressy on the port wing of his formation with Illustrious and Repulse deployed further back, screened by the Sword squadron. McManners planned a torpedo and lance strike on Rheingeld followed up by broadsides from his other vessels, before turning his attention to the grand cruiser. By then the other two Chaos vessels would be to the rear, but the Imperial fleet would have ample time to turn and deal with them, as they would be outnumbered and outgunned. The Imperial fleet had yet another battle with Thok sewn up.

Then disaster struck. With almost the first long range salvoes of the battle, Rheingeld got a lucky hit on Hogue. To the disbelief and horror of Imperial onlookers the gothic class vessel’s engine signature stuttered and died and the vessel was left dead in space. Almost immediately Thok had regained the initiative in the most unlikely of fashion.

McManners was sure however that Rheingeld, isolated and alone, would pay the price, but luck was not on his side. The torpedo salvo from his other gothic was confused by radiation and debris from Hogue and all six failed to acquire their targets. The carnage class escaped with minor damage.

Jormungandr was less lucky, and the combined broadsides of Illustrious, Repulse added to the firepower of the Sword squadron caused severe damage. Somehow despite the attention of bombers launched from the Imperial carrier she still manages to disengage and limp home.

25 minutes into the battle McManners had evened the odds, but Rhiengeld once again managed to evade certain death from the broadside of Repulse and the firepower of his battlecruiser, and she circled round to the rear of the Imperial fleet. Her escorting Idolators were less fortunate and were obliterated. McManners however was about to suffer the ultimate disaster.

Naglfar and Skoll had seen the damage wrought on Jormungandr, and together with Rheingeld they poured all their fire onto the Imperial carrier. Illustrious was hit again and again. Desperately she tried to disengage but with her bridge smashed and her thrusters damaged, she was unable to conduct evasive manoeuvres. With an eerie similarity to the destruction of her sister ship Ark Royal, Illustrious exploded, killing her entire crew and the commander of the Imperial taskgroup.

By now it appeared the Imperium had lost the battle, and Repulse and her escorting frigates rapidly fled the scene of destruction. The battle was almost over.

Cressy however distinguished herself well. Turning to port she saw the Skoll and Naglfar in the distance, well out of range. Rheingeld however, her crew inexperienced and impetuous, was inviting the Imperial cruiser into a one on one duel, despite being damaged. Cressy accepted, locked on to the Chaos vessel and then engaged in a twenty minute duel with Rheingeld. Very soon the Chaos captain regretted his rash action, as concentrated lance fire ripped into the starboard side of his vessel. He didn’t regret it for long however as a well placed salvo of superheated plasma ripped off the vessel’s conning tower.

With her command gone and her fire flagging the Rheingeld was doomed, at the mercy of the Imperial cruiser who showed her enemy none. Naglfar tried to help, sending in a wave of bombers against the Cressy, but these only inflicted minor damage. Only once the Rheingeld had exploded in a shower of flaming debris did Cressy disengage. The battle of Alphe system was over.

The battle was a material victory for chaos and a devastating loss for Admiral Jellicoe. He had lost both his heavy carrier cruisers and meant he would have to request a new mars class vessel from Kar Duniash. Fortunately Glorious was available and arrived several weeks later.

Thok had his victory, but largely due to luck. His fleet had approached spread out, and McManners’ plan, had he been able to enact it, may well have delivered another famous victory to the Imperium. The loss of the Hogue to a lucky shot and the fortunate escape of the Jormungandr were only two events of many which ensured a Chaos victory.

The failure of the Imperial nova cannons and torpedoes and the inability of Illustrious to disengage meant the Imperium could not have realistically achieved victory. Even so the victory remained minor thanks to the petulant behaviour and subsequent loss of Rheingeld. Given the sway of events, Thok’s fleet may well have been disappointed that the opportunity for an annihilating victory was passed up.

Although the Imperial Navy tacticians were satisfied with the way McManners conducted the battle, none of this meant anything to the beleaguered defenders of Alphe. The fleet had been sent packing, Thok had won and the defenders of Alphe now wondered if they could hold off the tide of Chaos for much longer.

Imperial Losses
Illustrious exploded
Hogue hulked

Chaos Losses
Jormungandr crippled
Rheingeld exploded
3 Idolators destroyed

Alphe: Major Chaos advance

On 1310.009M42 General Percival redeployed the badly mauled Corellian units to the west, reinforcing the recent assault and deploying most of the battered units to Linshore, hoping they would have some time to rest and refit. He could not have been more wrong.

Just two days later the Night Lords unleashed their forces on the Imperium, attacking furiously on Springbay and, at the same time, mounting an unexpected amphibious assault on Redkeep Island. The Corellian defenders were appauled to see Chaos rhinos and land raiders emerging from the Seaton Sea and soon found they were supported by the elite forces loyal to Raziel.

The battle was short, brutal and totally one sided. Linshore fell within a day and by 1710.009M42 the forces of Chaos had secured Redkeep and were Island hopping towards the mainland. Those remaining Corellian forces on Snowwald Island were rapidly evacuated and the shattered remnants arrived Summerbridge Crossing battered and despondent on 1910.009M42.

If this wasn’t bad enough for General Percival, a new, previously unknown Chaos army began attacking in force from the north. Traitor Legion forces assaulted the PDF forces on Hulme Island and began rapidly advancing south towards Westlake. By 1210.009M42 the Librian 43rd had been rushed to the area, and a fierce battle erupted around the city.

Both sides took heavy casualties as the Librians took the Chaos marines by surprise, blowing away their formidable Vindicator support before they could even reply. Gradually however the robust rhino borne troopers and the timely teleportation of obliterator units into the Librian lines turned the battle. Four days later, amid scenes of utter carnage Percival allowed the Librian 43rd to pull out. Westlake fell and the Chaos forces now looked likely to surround the remaining PDF units in Hulme Island. Percival however had bigger problems.

In the south the legions of Catechism loyal Guard regiments had broken out and were heading towards Merridale. It seemed now that the forces of Chaos had decided, somehow, to renew their offensives simultaneously. Unable to reinforce the south with his limited resources Percival gave permission for the Imperial regiments facing the new Catechism onslaught to withdraw to Oldmere. Meanwhile the Blood Angels, recently arrived thanks to Inquisitor Nikopolidis’ influence, agreed to take on the Catechism.

The Blood Angel intervention was to no avail. By the end of 2010.009M42 the space marine company sent in to stop the offensive was in full retreat, and a landing on Oldmere Island had been successfully carried out. Percival was retreating on three fronts and desperately needed more forces to deal with his enemies, or Alphe would surely fall.

Shadowstrike saves Ol Cha

Following the overwhelming success of Operation Triton the Tau held the majority of Tarsis Major’s land masses and major infrastructure. Shadowstrike immediately submitted further plans for a push on the planetary capital that would effectively break the Imperium on Tarsis, but was frustrated to find his plans blocked by the ethereals. The wars on Melberg and Tarsis had already consumed vast quantities of material and resources. With threats to the Tau Empire growing these resources were now needed elsewhere and despite Shadowstrike’s influence within the ethereal caste the war on Tarsis was downgraded to a low priority. Without the re-enforcements and supplies needed for major offensive operations Shadowstrike had no choice but to secure his gains and wait.

For the most part the Imperials were also content to settle down and regroup but with the arrival of the Venerators they finally made their long expected counter attack, taking Silverbrook with a combined air drop and mechanised assault and cutting off large quantities of Ol‘Cha‘s forces from supply.

Unwilling to abandon these troops to death or capture Shadowstrike ordered the Tau air caste to fly in supplies allowing the desperate remnants of Ol‘Chas Cadres to hold out against the fierce Imperial attacks. This bought Shadowstrike the time to organise a counter attack. Just before dawn Ol’Chas forces advanced on Silverbrook and secured a beachhead on the cities outskirts just as Mantas began launching from hidden underground air bases in the Tuvan Industrial Zone. As the sun broke the horizon these forces dropped directly into Silverbrook’s suburbs and drove like a lightening bolt for the cities heart. Expected an attack from the south the massed ranks of the Imperial Guard were completely wrong footed. Only the Venerators were able to respond in time to offer significant resistance.

As fierce fighting erupted near the cities central administrative hub the Venerators drove straight into the Tau guns. At first things appeared to go well for the Emperor’s finest as the chapter’s terminators and assault troops ripped into the Tau, destroying many of their most valuable assets. But they had failed to spot a stealthy flanking manoeuvre lead by Shadowstrike himself. Even as the veterans of the first company slaughtered all before them they were oblivious to the stealth troops and fire warriors closing in on their rearmost positions. Too late the Venerators realised the danger as their rearguard came under fierce assault.

As they prepared to retreat to their transports and counter this new threat there was a scream of jet engines and a brilliant flash as their land raiders exploded, leaving them isolated and impotent as the Piranha skimmers retreated into the distance. Without aid the Venerator’s rearguard of tactical marines was unable to repel the Tau attack and the Venerators were forced to withdraw or face being surrounded and annihilated. Seeing the city fall the Librian Guard regiments had no choice but to retreat back to their original lines or be cut off.

Shadowstrike’s operation had succeeded but at a high price. Once again Shadowstrike sent petitions to the Ethereals to once more prioritise the war on Tarsis, emphasising that the planet could not be considered secure until the capital was in Tau hands.

Coronus (New Cerberex)

Danelloth

Eldar in full retreat

Things went from bad to worse in early 10.009M42. With Hylas and Memnon not under their control their three exodite worlds of Saim Lann, Shelwe Agir and Mael Kithlan were not hidden from the prying eyes of the other races, and two extremely predatory ones seeon had their eyes set on the weakly defended worlds.

The Orks were the first to arrive, landing somewhat accidently on Mael Kithlan. Following recent reverses on Bothorion and faced with a declining empire, Nazghat needed to go on the offensive just to avoid being deposed by ambitious Nobz who thought they could do a better job of leading his vast army.

With this in the forefront of his Orky mind the greenskin tide arrived in force around the lightly defended exodite world of Mael Kithlan, falling upon the hapless defenders with wild abandon. The Eldar did have a small group of warriors in their midst however, a group of outcasts who had settled on the three Eldar worlds of the Mabb nebula following the destruction of their craftworld. Until now they had been safe, but the tide of greenskin warriors proved too much for them and by 1810.009M42 they had lost all but a fifth of the habitable settlements to the Orks.

Much worse occurred on Saim Lann as the tendrils of Nemesis appeared in the system. The Eldar here fought bravely, but were unable to prevent the Tyranids from slaughtering their populace and overruning the entire world in just a week. Those who could, fled using the webway, abandonning, at least temporarily, the exodite world.

More refugees flooded into the webway as the Eldar considered their options. A reaction to the Tyranid threat would have to be swift as the aliens began to feed on the biological resources of the planet.

Colonies founded on Danelloth and Coronus

In 10.009M42 two new colonies were founded in the Shadow Worlds. After much work and toil the planet of Coronus finally became "New Cerberex", a haven for the defeated remnants of the Cerberex war. Over a million settlers flooded in and new settlements, including a city, began to take shape.

It was not without trouble however. While excavating foundations a group of Cerberex workmen accidently uncovered a Necron tomb and the thousands of Necron warriors who poured out of their slumber massacred almost an entire regiment of Cerberex Guard before the Dark Angels, continuing to show great respect and admiration from those who chose a life of exile rather than join the UFP, turned up in force and destroyed the alien threat.

Meanwhile the Tau colony on Danelloth was officially founded at roughly the same time, following Elan Ro's raids on Fort Aerin which brought back much needed supplies to the new Tau world. The Ethereals formally recognised the Tau colony as the newest member of the Tau empire on 1610.009M42. A half hearted assault by the Adeptus Astartes followed, but this was easily seen off by Elan Ro's forces.

Elan Ro had secured his pet project, to found a new world in the Shadow worlds. However much would need to be done to secure this new prize, as dangers nearby and a suspect line of supply meant the new Tau colonists would be living on the ragged edge for some time yet.

Shadow Worlds: Bothorion Standoff

As 10.009M42 began the Imperial hold on Bothorion became increasingly tenuous. Alexander's battlegroup was forced to withdraw some forces to face an emergent Necron threat on Coronus, unaware that the Dark Angels were already in position to face them. This left just two regiments and a two companies of space marines to hold the Imperium's recent gains on the planet.

An initial Ork attack was held by the Venerators company as Nazghat's followers tried to remove the Imperium from their one remaining hold in the Shadow worlds, and severe casualties were inflicted on the greenskin forces. Then, the Claws of Lorek arrived in force.

Leading a large force of traitors and heretics the Claws of Lorek chaos space marine chapter arrived on 1010.009M42 with several capital ships of unknown origin. Before Alexander could turn his ships around and return to the system, the traitor legion had inflicted a severe defeat on the other space marine company, forcing the Imperial Guard regiments to flee back to the relative safety of their fortified landing base.

At the same time the forces of Chaos attacked the Orks, encountering Da Verminator's warband and heavy fighting ensued. The battle was bloody but ultimately inconclusive. However numbers told and the Orks were able to force the new arrivals to retreat back to their landing zone. Now Bothorion was a tense three-way stand off, and as the fleet of Battlegroup Alexander raced back to the system, a showdown was inevitable...

Crisis at Silverbrook

As 10.009M42 began, Cunningham received some welcome reinforcements in the shape of the Venerators space marines. Immediately the Adeptus Astartes and Imperial forces began planning an attack to retake Silverbrook and encircle a great swathe of Tau troops. The plan was simple. The Imperial Guard would advance south on the Tau positions from the desert on the eastern slopes of the Barrier mountains, into territory known to be held by the forces of Ol Cha.

Meanwhile the Venerators, using Thunderhawks and drop pods from their orbiting Strike cruiser, would land to the west of the city, linking up with the Imperial advance, led by the highly experienced Librian 57th regiment. The operation began on 0710.009M42 with a text book landing by the Venerators. The space marines had taken the Tau by surprise and soon had Silverbrook surrounded. Meanwhile the Librian 57th, leading several divisions of Tarsis PDF began their assault south, some four hours later than scheduled thanks to delays in the rear.

While the Venerators made good gains, Ol Cha's forces fought well against the Librians, using the terrain to shield their forces from the worst of Imperial firepower. However, the experienced guard outfit soon began making inroads, choosing to seek out Tau formations and destroy them rather than following orthodox territory taking tactics which had failed so badly in previous months.

Leman Russ battle tanks and chimera borne veteran squads took their toll on Ol Cha's highly mechanised forces, forcing the Tau to retreat. As expected the Tau fell back towards Silverbrook, only to find the Marines waiting for them. By 1610.009M42 the Tau found themselves isolated and surrounded in a pocket to the south of Aeron river, relying on supplies brought in by Manta and Orca. The next phase of the Imperial operation, to destroy the pocket and advance south would soon begin.

Alphe...

In early 10.009M42 the Imperium was in the ascendent on Alphe. In the north the Dark Eldar had reportedly abandonned their pact with Chaos and left the world. This emboldened General Percival and the recently arrived Corellian Storm Guard were assigned to the front line with orders to push the forces of Chaos back further, out of Hulme Island into the east of North Reach.

Unfortunately the Chaos forces had reinforced this sector following the loss of their allies, and reinforcements apparently travelling with the Night Lords' fleet, which still remained in the system, launched their own attack. The fighting was brisk with the Storm guard taking heavy casualties. Their defeat lost ground for the Imperium and Percival's forces were forced to withdraw towards Westlake.

A lack of Krak grenades was blamed for the poor performance of the Corellian's poor performance, and the Adeptus Ministorium was given a severe dressing down by Percival at his HQ in Deepsnow. Such a basic mistake in provisions would not be repeated.

Meanwhile another recent arrival, a company of Venerators space marines, launched a major assault by drop pod and Thunderhawk gunship, on the Night Lords positions on Snowwald Island. After several hours of fighting the Venerators narrowly secured tow bridgeheads and forced the Chaos forces to retreat towards Springbay. Imperial Guard regiments then followed up and prepared to besiege the Chaos held city.

Alphe Latest

Tarsis Major Latest

New Aleph Sector Wiki

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Major Chaos Raid

While the Imperial bases in the Shadow Worlds were facing attacks from the resurgent Eldar menace, the last thing they expected was to face a renewed threat from the forces of Chaos. For months the Chaos forces had been absent in the Mabb nebula, chosing to consolidate their unquestioned domination of the Rim worlds and concentrating on their campaign on Alphe.

However in late 09.009M42 several convoys were attacked by Chaos raiders, and on 2809.009M42 Tyndareous reported a significant force of enemy troops landing on the far side of the planet. Admiral Dreyer immediately made for the Tyndareous system, but when he arrived the Chaos fleet had already disappeared. Scattered in the rocky terrain of Tyndareous’s far side, the fleet was unable to provide an effective bombardment, so Dreyer’s formidable war fleet set off in pursuit of the Chaos fleet. Meanwhile on the ground the Imperial commander knew he was facing a significant force of Chaos troops. Then some remarkably unexpected help arrived.

The Tau arrived on Tyndareous on 0310.009M42 and were welcomed by the Imperial forces. Higher up in the Imperial command structure, someone was turning a blind eye to this, while the Tau had no issues whatsoever with fighting the Imperium on Tarsis and helping them on Tyndareous. The Tau were suffering increasing losses to Chaos raiders and saw an opportunity to devastate their common enemy with an alliance. Besides, the Tau and Imperium had been operating an unofficial non aggression pact in the Mabb nebula for months.

The Tau commander was new to the Aleph sector, but was clearly a colleague of Elan Ro with his open and apparently honest demeanour. The combined force of Imperial and Tau troops then set out to defeat their enemy. Unfortunately for the alliance the Chaos forces on Tyndareous were even stronger than they had imagined, and the overwhelming force sent to deal with them turned out to be of only equal size.

Despite this the Imperial and Tau commanders considered their chances good, and launched their attack. The Chaos forces responded, attacking in force and summoning daemons into the lines of their enemies. This tactic was highly successful and following moderate losses the alliance withdrew to defence lines closer to the Imperial settlements.

Eldar ravage Coronus

The next sign of Eldar activity following their spectacular seizure of Fort Sparcos came on 0110.009M42 when the Sons of Ultramar base on Coronus was raided by a significant force of aliens. The Eldar took the space marines by surprise, wrecking their equipment and seizing or destroying their supplies. Imperial reinforcements eventually meant that the Eldar were obliged to withdraw, but the damage inflicted on the Imperial base ensured the Sons of Ultramar would be in no position to interfere with Eldar plans for at least a month.

Space Marines aid push south on Merrin

The static war on Tarsis Major finally began moving again in 10.009M42. The towns of Medulla and Stockton, overlooked by the Mertock Mountains which had been in Imperial hands for over a month, were the next ideal target for the Imperial advance on Merrin.

A number of senior commanders on Tarsis Major, and the Tau themselves, felt the second front on Merrin to be an unnecessary distraction, which was precisely why General Cunningham kept the front open and supported, denying the Tau a simple war.

On 0110.009M42 the Praetorian Guard commander, supported by Adeptus Astartes troops who had recently arrived on the planet, launched their attack. The Space Marine force made the difference, battering the Tau defenders in Medulla and forcing the Tau elements defending Stockton to withdraw. 10 days later the Tau had been forced to yield the coast of the Merrin Strait, and the Merrin mines now began looking increasingly vulnerable to the Imperial second front.

The Aleph Sector (new map)

Percivals new Offensive: Dark Angels strike

While the Catechism in south Alphe appeared to be showing no signs of attacking, and the Night Lords consolidated their hold on Snowwald Island, General Percival, unsupplied and running out of fuel, none-the-less wanted to get on with his planned offensive against Chaos on Alphe.

Percival was frustrated at the Imperial Navy’s lack of resupply, and now with the arrival of the Night Lords it appeared the Imperium had lost control of space around the planet. Although he was assured by admiral Jellicoe on a number of occasions that a new fleet was on its way, both men knew that it would take weeks for the fleet to assemble and depart for Alphe.

On 2009.009M42 the fleet had finally assembled, but, hearing the continued frustrated communications from Percival, the Dark Angels once again arrived in force on the planet, evidently agreeing with Percival that an attack north sooner, rather than later, would be preferable.

This was in part down to the nature of the force in northern Alphe. Imperial intelligence knew the Dusk Raiders were a lesser force than the either the Night Lords or the Catechism, and were supported by an alliance with the Dark Eldar. In addition the stories coming out of the Dark Eldar zone of occupation were so horrific, the Imperial army was keen to strike here first.

The Dark Angels agreed and spearheaded the attack on the sparesley populated region of Hulme Island, assisted by largely infantry based regiments of PDF troops, who would follow up and clear out any remaining resistance. The space marine force charged forward, using a fast and mobile force including a number of attack bikes. The Dark Eldar, taken by surprise, fell back, fighting a rearguard, before their force was spilt in two when the Imperial attack reached North Reach. While one force of Dark Eldar successfully disengaged, withdrawing behind Dusk Raiders defences, another force became isolated on the coast.

The aliens, cut off and with no hope of rescue, fought tenaciously and viciously, but were unable to prevent the inevitable. On 2609.009M42 their resistance broke and the entire Dark Eldar force was wiped out. The PDF following up were appalled at the scenes of torture and sadistic brutality, and found almost half the population of Hulme Island had been removed, facing a fate worse than death at the hands of the twisted aliens.

Disaster at Fort Sparcos

While Imperial hugh command under General Thaddeus Roover planned his new offensives in the Shadow Worlds, Tarsis Major and Alphe, his intelligence completely failed to recognise the signs of an imminent disaster. On 1409.009M42 contact was lost with Fort Sparcos on the edge of the Mabb Nebula. Very little attention was paid to this, as temporary losses of communication with outlying settlements were common. However, when three badly damaged supply ships arrived at the docks at Caitlen station on 3009.009M42 their story came as a terrible shock. Fort Sparcos had been lost in a single day.

The survivors, who had just managed to escape from the clutches of the Eldar fleet, or had perhaps been allowed to escape, told of the sudden and unexpected attack by elite alien forces, led, at dawn on the 26th, by powerful Wraithlords and the cream of the Eldar war machine.

The Eldar had synchronised their attacks on the main military bastions and the spaceport itself, so Colonel Anderson was unable to shift his forces to meet the threats in turn. The battle was brutal and exceptionally bloody, with the Eldar vanguard forces taking heavy damage from the Imperial Guard weapon implacements within the fortified positions, and suffering badly at the hands of the Imperial Leman Russ tanks.

In fact, the Eldar plan had gone badly wrong from the start. The attack was late, and the night which protected their initial advance on the fortress was soon lost. In addition the Eldar forces arrived in two distinct waves, rather than the one which their planners had devised. Finally, the outlfanking move by Strikin Scoprion aspect warriors had gone the wrong way, and these shock troops had turned up in the wrong place, totally unable to affect the outcome of the battle.

Despite these shortcomings, the overwhelming force employed by the Eldar had been decisive. The Imperial defenders put up a poor show of firepower initially, and the Eldar had done their homework, employing a large number of anti-tank weapons and fearsome Wraithlords, led by the Avatar of war itself.

After a day of heavy fighting, the resitance of the Imperial Guard had been broken. Many Bastion defences were destroyed by Fire Dragons, reducing the mighty defences to burning slag. Before the end of the day there was very little left of the fort itself, and the remaining Guard soldiers were mopped up by Eldar forces. Very few humans escaped the carnage.

After the loss of the fort, which had been thought of as impregnable, there were a number of questions to be answered. Why were the Imperial forces so underprepared to face an attack at night? Why had their been no warning? The Eldar had arrived by ship and the lack of an Imperial Navy defence demonstrated a fort is no fort at all without control of space and the air. And finally, why had the Eldar attacked at all? And what would happen now to Fort Sparcos itself?

Elan Ro raids Fort Aerin

On 2609.009M42 Elan Ro indicated his intentions of a new campaign in the Shadow Worlds. Though the details are sketchy, it is known that a significant force, including a fleet of several Protector Class vessels arrived, uncontested in the system of what was once the Imperial Fort Aerin. They landed several hunter cadres on the world of Aerin, striking hard and fast against totally unprepared Ork defences.

The destruction of several Ork settlements followed, though the fort itself, which had been extensively "konverted" by the Orks, was left untouched. As soon as the Orks realised what was going on, Elan Ro's forces left as swiftly as they had arrived, their ships hold's crammed full of useful resources with which to continue the expansion of the colony on Danelloth.