The Battle of Cadia: Beginning of the 13th Black Crusade – Part 11

The Gothic War, last seen eight centuries past, has emerged once more from the annals of history. An armada, dispatched from Cpra Mundi, has landed on Bellis Corona, and the gears of a major Imperial counter-offensive into the Cadan Gate have begun to turn. This vast armada’s arrival has allowed a brief pause for the Imperial vessels, which had been engaged in non-stop warfare since the beginning of the invasion. Depleted crews were reinforced, and damaged vessels hastily repaired and refitted.

The Imperial reinforcements, organized into battle groups, were assigned to bolster defenses in specific sectors of the Segmentum Obscurus. With millions of cubic light years to cover around the Eye of Terror, the Imperial Navy focused its resources on the most critical areas. The goal? To slow, stall, and then repel the Chaos War fleets.

However, in the latter stages of this campaign, as Abon’s Fleet approached the Agri world of Laox, the Ultramarines Honor Company launched a daring counter-assault. As the Planet Killer neared, the Ultramarines’ brave action provided just enough time for the Laox’s planetary Defense Forces to evacuate a significant portion of the population before their world was obliterated by Abdon’s weapon.

The Ultramarines emerged victorious, having crippled the Planet Killer, but the massive vessel managed to limp away. Despite their victory, the Ultramarines’ efforts to locate the Planet Killer before it struck again were in vain. Without warning, the vessel appeared in orbit over Macaria, and to the disbelief of many, the world was destroyed. Millions of loyal subjects perished, casting a pall of dread over the Segmentum Obscurus High Command.

Amid this grim reality, a new and unexpected faction entered the fray. The elusive Eldari, often cited by Imperial Navy crews and ground troops, intervened in battles at their whim. At times, they aided overwhelmed Imperial vessels, allowing them to escape, while at other times they attacked without provocation, taking slaves and sowing confusion in their wake.

Rumors suggested that the legendary Harlequins of the Alari faction had appeared on the battlefields of Agripa and Celus. There were also reports of the Eldari fighting among themselves, attacking Ultramarines in the Agria sector and harboring fearsome war beasts on their ghost ships. The mercurial nature of the Eldari made their actions unpredictable, and their motivations unclear.

In this chaotic landscape, the Ordo Xenos informed the Cardian High Command of the return of another ancient threat – the Necrons. Active in the Sentinel worlds, these soulless automatons had likely lain dormant for millennia. Their awakening was believed to be a reaction to the activities of Abdon and the forces of Chaos.

While Chaos represented the greatest peril to the Imperium, the Necrons, antithetical to the Warp, were stirred into action by its increasing power. This adversarial stance could be interpreted as an utter loathing for Chaos. However, despite their shared enemy, the Imperium and the Necrons were far from allies.

Lord Castellan Creed, ever the strategist, ordered all Imperial forces to avoid engaging the Necrons. They were allowed to fight Chaos wherever they wished, but Imperial forces were not to aid the Necrons under any circumstances. As this chapter of the Gothic War unfolds, the cards are dealt, and the players take their places. The fate of the Cadan Gate hangs in the balance.

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