A System at War.
Across the Aurora System war has broken out threatening to consume the region utterly. Within a few days of the Adeptus Astartes arriving, battle fleets from both the Eldar and Chaos factions arrived to contest the Space Marines naval dominance.
War in the North.
The fiercest fighting has been seen in the Northern Akos Frontier. Here the dark alliance of Chaos Legions have made a fractured alliance with the numerous malcontents and recidivists which inhabit the hostile area. A number of bold attacks against the Eldar and Space Marines have seen the Chaos Marines take complete control over the Northern Frontier.
This control means that Khalimani of the Thousand Sons has been able to further weaken the psychic wards that hold the Necrons entombed. As a result more of these long dead xenos have been awakened to march on Aurora Prime.
In response to this the Eldar warhost has struck back and have been conducting an aggressive hit and run offensive against the Chaos marine strong points all across the frontier. Squadrons of falcon grave tanks accompanied by jet bikes single out vulnerable Chaos marine supply columns while Striking Scorpion and Warp Spider Aspect Warriors regularly attack townships and outposts loyal to the ruinous powers.
The Adeptus Astartes response has been uncharacteristically conservative. After fortifying their position
in the Golvidis Heights the space marines has been more concerned with holding their ground rather than reclaiming the Northern Frontier.
There have however been some fierce clashes between the space marines and the Eldar. The battle for Bastion Storm Breaker VI involved a combined force of Golden Swords, Steel Eagles and Black Templars assaulting a heavily defended eldar fortification. While the initial orbital bombardment and drop pod assault allowed the Adeptus Astartes to breach the Eldar defences the Eldar counter attack was devastating. The Golden Swords lost every one of their 9th company dreadnoughts and the Steel Eagle Chapter Master Cullin was slain by a Mighty Avatar of Khaine.
In the far north the Crimson Fist chapter have been doping their best to stem the tide of Necrons pouring south. Three days into this campaign the threat escalated from the polar oceans the gargantuan form of five Necron rose up into high orbit. The ships were confirmed as consisting of two Scythe Class Harvest Ships and three jackal class raiders. The Crimson fist Battle Barge Emperor’s Truth supported by two Blood Angel Nova class Frigates moved to engage by were out run by the swift alien ships.
Crusade Commander Pedro Kantor has made the destruction of these Necron vessels a top priority and has dedicated much of the Crimson Fist fleet to hunting them down.
The Cadres Muster
With much attention turned to the Northern Frontier the Tau on Aurora Secondus have lost no time in consolidating their position. Realising that the threat of a counter attack from Aurora Prime must be neutralised, Tau Commander Or’es Mal‘caor set about mustering a force to strike at the main planet in the system. With the arrival of a Gal’leath Class Starship carrying two full contingents of Hunter Cadres and two Air Cadres the Tau invasion force was ready.
Tau forces landed down all across Aurora Prime. Their primary goal was to limit any threat to Tau holdings on Aurora Secondus. To this end infrastructure across Aurora Prime has been destroyed, along with supply plants and Aurora Combine training facilities. Some analysts within Imperial high command believe the Tau may be looking to assault Wrexmaul and seize the star port there.
However while the Tau have launched a moderately successful campaign against Aurora Prime their war on Aurora Secondus is far form over. Not only are PDF units loyal to the Imperium conducting a guerrilla campaign amongst the tunnels and warehouses of the subterranean habzones but the Dark Eldar have been sending a steady stream of warriors into the battle. Unusually it would seem that the Dark Eldar seem driven to take and hold the planet rather than being merely content to raid.
Raiders!
Indeed Dark Eldar activity across the system has been highly atypical. Their raids seem to be against random targets, often against fortified positions that they have no hope of taking. Many of their attacks seem for the sake of destruction rather than for captives as is usual.
Both the Imperial Guard intelligence and the Ordo Xenos have been working hard to discover the reason behind this apparent irrational campaign.
Whatever the motive there is no denying that the Dark Eldar have caused tremendous damage all across Aurora Prime.
Imperial Response
It has become clear that any Imperial response has been overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the threat that the face. As well as attempting to contain the as yet minimal threat from the Tyranids on Aurora Prime the Imperial High Command has had to anticipate the mercurial offensive maneuvers of the Craftworld and Dark Eldar, as well as considering a counter attack against Carag.
In short the Imperial forces have a massive shortage of manpower. Despite conscripting over 100,000 civilians into an ad hoc Aurora 7th Citizen Regiment and commandeering nearly every Aurora Combine security personnel the Imperial army simply doesn’t have the resources to fight such a wide campaign They lack vital support from the Adetpus Mechanicus and the Imperial Navy. Especially at a time when Titans from a number of factions, most notably the Eldar have been sighted.
One stroke of fortune for the Imperial Guard forces has been that contact with Lord Marshall Samson Tyson has been re-established. Apparently the Lord Marshall survived an assassination attempt from a Alpha Marine kill team. He has been moved from his Command HQ in Tournmal and is planning to move south to Aurora City.
Hythun Rebellion
The brunt of the Tyranid activity on Aurora Prime has been concentrated in the jungles of the Carag archipelago and Hythun Prime itself. Because of this and the continuing siege around the Cathedral of Blessed Flame the Hythun Dynasty has been unable to launch any kind of sustained assault against Akos. However a number of chaos cults sympathetic to the Hythun Dynasty’s technocratic regime have risen up to challenge imperial authority across Aurora Prime.
The Behemoth Stirs
With Imperial attention concentrated on maintaining control over the urban centres of Aurora Prime little has been done to combat the growing greenskin threat in the System. The Gothic class cruiser ’Light of Faith’ has sighted at least a half dozen Ork, Ravager attack ships around the giant asteroid 45/67XXBehemoth The Gothic cruiser moved to engage but was met by a hail of fire from the asteroid itself. Shortly afterwards two Ork Terror class cruisers and an Ork Kill cruiser emerged from the shadow of the asteroid to attack the ’Light of Faith’.
The Gothic class cruiser would surely have been destroyed if not for the intervention of its sister ship the ’Emperor’s Wisdom’ and Defence Monitor squadron B/VV.
Despite the increasing belligerence of the Orks in the space lanes within the Aurora System the green skins have had little impact on the battle for Aurora Prime itself. However although the Orks lack the momentum of a full blown Waaaagh at the moment it will be only a matter of time before the pirate captains of the Aurora asteroid fields are fully united.
Imperial intelligence has noted that many of the ork raids onto Aurora Prime seem to be around the continent of Carag. In particular Ork warbands are seeking out Tyranid swarms. It is believed that at present the Orks are a beneficial factor in suppressing the Hive Mind on Aurora Prime.
Of particular note was the interception of a major Tyranid swarming across the Baltaro region of the Carag jungle by a large Ork warband. The Tyranid swarm seemed intent on destroying the sea port of Allstorn, one of the last remaining Imperial outposts on the continent. Approximately three hours before the Tyranid vanguard was expected to hit the Imperial outer defences, scout units reported Ork mobs emerging from the jungle and throwing themselves headlong at the Tyranids.
Imperial observers reported a vicious battle occurring around the ruins of an abandoned manifactorium. The orks formed a strong defensive line and as the Tyranid swarm struck the Ork war boss sent a number of squadrons of so called ‘Deff dredds’ squadrons against the Tyranid advance. With the Tyranids struggling to bring down these mechanical beasts the Orks wisely, but unusually held back and struck a the Tyranids from long range. Meanwhile more Orks ‘dreadnoughts’ struck at the left flank of the Tyranids while several mobs of ork nobles [nobs] hit the Tyranid right flank.
With the Tyranids contained the Orks proceeded over the course of nearly an hour to whittle the swarm down in a hail of fire with Ork ’dreadnoughts’ and nobles making frequent forays into the swarm.
The Ork warband then proceeded further into the jungle. Presumably to find more prey.
The report of this battle was passed onto Ordo Xenos in Drake Spire where it was reviewed by Inquisitor Lord Claudius Von Striken himself. The sophistication and comparitive restraint shown by the Orks has been a cause for grave concern. The fear is that an Ork warlord of considerable strategic competence is commanding them.