Manouvers in the Jimulthuan Quadrant: V

 
On the brink of full cataclysm, the war paused, gathered in all its strength like a tidal wave that looms above the shore, poised before its fall and utter devastation. 

Rylstone System: Rylstone V, 3.075.965.M41

Black armoured figures moved slowly through the shattered ruin. 

Towards the rear, two stood together, regarding the smouldering wreck of a titanic walker. Its armour was mottled brown ochre, riddled with innumerable holes from bolter fire. 

"The vanguard reports the xenos are in full retreat, Chapter Master," one of the figures said, standing at a respectful distance from his leader. 

"We have brought them death, Jereann" said the Chapter Master, expressionlessly. Captain Jereann waited to see if there would be more, but the Chapter Master was not forthcoming. Kasfunatius was mostly silent since crossing the Rubicon Primaris. Patience was frequently required in communicating with him, he seemed to have much on his mind.

"Our losses were extensive, but we remain at operational strength," Jereann added, after a suitable pause. "We are advancing through the Western Enclaves. Auspex confirms the vanguard's report."  

The Chapter Master stepped forward to the burning warsuit. He raised a gauntleted hand to it, putting a finger inside one of the holes. "Death brings no respite," he said. 

"Indeed, Lord," Jereann agreed. Did the Chapter Master mean for the despised T'au or for their own fallen? Both were true, Jereann thought. Their fallen brethren were already being taken to the Casket of Dust and returned to duty. Chapter serfs were even now piling the destroyed xenos in mounds, macabre displays of their fate to remind the local populace of the fate of all who defied the Lex Imperialis. 

"There is more, my Lord," Jereann went on. "Strike Cruisers were discovered lurking in orbit around Rylstone III. It is the Fallen of our chapter, iconography was positive. They were driven off or destroyed."

Silence met this latest intelligence. Jereann waited until it grew uncomfortable. 

"My Lord? Was it not thought that the Crypt Fallen were no longer..."

Abruptly, Kasfunatius turned away, his contemplation of the smashed Riptide complete. "Transmit to Drawbridge via the astropaths. The defence of Rylstone no longer requires Imperial reinforcement. We are in control." 

Jereann watched him go, his heavy steps crunching through the silent ruins. "Are we indeed?" Jereann asked himself quietly.  

Drawbridge System, Ammunition Depot MMCXII: 3.075.967.M41

"An easy victory," Ledisidris said, crossing his arms over his chest and stretching out his shoulders. The Drukharii's smile was cold and self-satisfied, as always. 

"These servants of ruin were particularly ineffective," his partner, Scionnu replied. "Although I admit, I was somewhat surprised that they knew where to find us."

"Luck," Lesisidris scoffed. "That wasn't an attack, that was panic." He pulled his venom pistol from its sheath, adjusted the doser and fired a quick shot into the still-twitching body of a human dressed in soiled rags. The toxins were starting to wear off, he didn't want its misery to end too quickly.

"Should we let Guraqore know?" 

"Let him know what? That we were detected, albeit briefly? That we massacred these imbeciles without undue effort? That no part of his plan has yet been deviated from? It all seems somewhat... moot, does it not?"

"We did good work here today," Scionnu said. "I have nothing to lose by informing the Haemonculus of it. You mistake your own cowardice for humility. Which is most repellent, I am uncertain."

"Bah," Lesisidris spat. "Do as you see fit. I feel no need to toady to that serpent. I have far more interesting things to do." 

He gave the writhing cultist a last dose of excruciation from his pistol, and stalked off to find other victims to torment. 

Drawbridge High Orbit, Ultramarine Battle Cruiser Unbroken Vow, 3.076.965.M41

"Auspex, report," Astralhand commanded. 

"The xenos fleet is making planetfall on the eastern continent, Lord," the hooded operator responded immediately. "Their dropships are landing away from the hives, deep in the jungle, near sites of tyrannic infestation. I don't understand it, there is nothing of strategic value for them there, Lord! It makes no sense!" 

"Sense is not a quality one can assign to orks," Astralhand said. "They followed us here from the Transcaridian Docks seeking merely combat, as their kind do."

"They have done us a favour, then, in crushing the Tyranids!"

 "No indeed," the Librarian said, his handsome brow creasing. "This worries me. If the orks aren't attacking us, it means they don't consider us a worthy opponent. And if that's the case, the infestations on Drawbridge are even worse than I feared." 

"But the Planetary Governor has assured us..." 

"The Imperial regime here is not to be trusted," Astralhand stated flatly. "They have refused our commands, played for time when they should have acted and allowed heresy to breed. I have command here, not them. Signal our... wait! What is that?"

New contacts blipped into life on the auspex array, red icons marked with the symbols designating ancient Imperial ships. 

"Traitor vessels! My Lord, it is the chaos fleet! They're moving to attack Drawbridge, but..."

"I see it, Auspex. They're descending on the Ork positions. Hold and observe, we need to find out what their aim is."

Drawbridge Low Orbit, Swiftdeath Interceptor Carrion Claw, 3.076.965.M41

"Beneath you, Blood Leader, low low, vector fifty." The vox crackles and howls, fighting the static of low atmosphere as the interceptor barrels through clouds. Its autocannons thunder. 

"Correct, Blood Three. Strike and reform."

"Four more, port low rising."

"Mine, Blood Two. Stay on the bombers." 

The small craft protests as Blood Leader flips it through a vicious turn. His sights lock on the rising craft, crude gunships pumping trails of smoke in equal volumes to the erratic fire they throw in his direction. Easily avoided, but hard to lock on his targets at the same time. The vox is still pulsing with static, an undertone threatening to overwhelm the steady barrage of messages from his wing. 

"Kill confirmed. Blood for Khorne!"

"...orks...."

"Blood Three, strike and reform. Confirm!" 

"Filth! Filth! My cockpit is..." A burst of violent static. Blood Leader thumbs his triggers, a pair of enemy ships explode in oily blooms of fire. 

"Six more, port low rising."

"Blood Two, intercept. Where is Savage wing?"

"...tercept, intercept! Repeat, fifty or more, we have..."

"Blood for Khorne! Hate and Death! Kill confirmed, we pile the Throne deep with skulls today!"

"...kssss orks..."

"Blood Five, I have your six. Turn on my mark, hard starboard. Mark!"

"...Burn! Kill! Maim! Burn...."

Blood Leader strains against his harness, seeking visual contact of his wingmates amongst the chaos in the clouds. His auspex is a red mess of hostiles. Damage reports seethe and hiss under the constant babble of the vox. The cockpit is thick with the smell of oil and his sweat. 

"Kill confirmed! Blood Two, where are you? Where is my support?"

"Contacts high high starboard, descending. Fifty plus! Bloody lord of death, where are our..."

"Low five and rising! Low five, do you see them?

"...under me! They're under me! Blood God, I go to meet..."

"...empty! Pulling out, I need ammo. Repeat, pulling out!"

"Negative Blood Three! Stay in the zone! If you can't shoot them, ram them! Khorne cares not..."

"...ORKS ORKS ORKS ORKS ORKS..."

The static overwhelms the vox, a thumping bellow that drowns telemetry and sense. Blood Leader never sees which of the myriad fighter-bomberz it is that finally manages to catch his craft in its firing arcs. As his wingmates are overwhelmed, caught unaware by the arrival of half a dozen Kill Kroozers teleporting in behind their own carriers, he feels fury, pain (briefly), and then nothing. 

Cloaked High Orbit, Drawbridge, the Guncutter Remorseless: 3.076.965.M41

"More chamomile, Inquisitor?"

"Thank you, no, Bendron, I'm quite relaxed enough. But you may leave the pot."

"Very good, milord."

As his adjutant withdrew, Inquisitor Vodiis returned his gaze to the map of the quadrant and the ivory figurines he had placed upon it. Small colour slips of paper were pinned to the map by the weight of the pieces, slips he had crafted painstakingly earlier that evening. A slightly whimsical representation of the conflict, he knew, and time-consuming. The act of creating was a useful method of focusing his thinking, though, and there was little else he could do at this moment. 

Finally, the Imperial forces in the sector were waking up. The Crypt Angels were throwing back the Xenos, the complacency that had plagued Drawbridge was over and the Ultramarines had finally been forced to see how tenuous their position really was. Vodiis knew all this was to the good, but the overall picture was still one of decline. Was it all too late, or could the Imperium yet rally? 

 

Campaign Round Five

Sorry for the AI images - I was tired and lazy today, which is a poor excuse. I shall execute myself when I find the energy. Hopefully I made up for it slightly with the flavour text.

Round five, and plenty happening:

• The Xenos just moved their fleet over to Mombassa, keeping out of the way of all the fighting. Canny work, they left a right dogpile behind in Drawbridge. 
• In a narrative twist, the Imperium managed to lure Ork forces to Drawbridge and got them to attack the Tyranids, so although Pootle and I played a xenos vs xenos game, it still counted as an Imperial fight which he won. This was counted as an Assert Dominance game, and the scores have shifted accordingly with the Imperium boosting their own score by two.
• Chaos had also attacked the Xenos in the skies above Drawbridge, trying for a planetary invasion. This got played out as an MCP game, which has not remotely been represented in the narrative above! Chaos got driven off again, once more leaving their fleet in disarray. It's been driven off to the Sweetwater Debris Field. 
• The Inquisition moved to Drawbridge and tried to instigate a GSC overthrow of Imperial assets there. Obviously I'm glad I lost, I'm totally on the Imperial side underneath it all. 
• The Crypt Angels have lost no time in fighting a pair of Assert Dominance games in Rylstone. One was good ol' new 40K against the Xenos, one was a game of X-Wing against Chaos. They won both and have reclaimed their system, reducing Xenos and Chaos Dominance to zero and Imperial to one while sticking their own up to two. That puts them on the scoreboard!

With all that fought out, here are the Consolidations:

• The Imperium are biding their time in the skies over Drawbridge. 
• The Xenos have built a defence network in Mombassa.
• Chaos rally their fleet. Again.
• The Crypt Angels seem to be biding their time (tbc)
• The Inqusition is biding its time in Drawbridge, perhaps by holding a staring competition with the Imperium. 

Here's the updated map!

And all that leaves the scores looking like this:

• Imperium still Dominant in Alebus and Zamaroon, but they've also reclaimed Drawbridge, which is worth double for them as they hold the depots. +4 points for a total of 14.
• Xenos still leading in the Transcaridian Docks and Haga. +2 points for a total of 14. 
• Chaos still Dominant in the SDF, Bagot Prime and the Vulniis Infernii. +3 points for a total of 13. 
• The Crypt Angels have scored their bonus points twice, having reduced the Xenos and Chaos to zero dominance in Rylstone. They score four points the first time they do that in a system (for now!), and they also now hold Rylstone themselves. +9 for a total of 9.
• The Inquisition has kept the scores even in Mombassa and Gauntlegun. +2 points for a total of 13. 

That looks pretty even to me! Plenty to play for - keep tuning in for more updates as we play.