All stations, stand ready for combat operations. Secure all stations and seal all bulkheads. Ground troops, prepare for combat drop. he orders.
We attack with the navy. Plot a route near to the moon over Riposte. We will deploy Landers as we pass the moon and provide cover for their descent with our longer range batteries. Escorts, screen for fighters and make sure at least some of first attention is on us. Let's not let them focus on the Navy alone.
Ground Forces: secure all orbital installations as quickly as possible and employ them against enemy forces if possible.
"Commodore, flank speed if you will, form a battle line with the other elements of our fleet. Ground assault forces are prepared for drop as we cross the planet's face. Prepare starboard torpedo tubes for a boarding strike against the traitors' flagship."
The Retribution and her escorts keep pace with the leading edge of the Imperial fleet, all weapons primed, full power to her shields, and their crew ready to wipe away this stain on the Imperium of Man.
As they charge to the attack, drop pods, Thunderhawks, and other landing craft separate from Retribution.
Ground:
The ground war, lead by the Imperial Hammer of the Guard troops and Knight Walkers, progresses fast across the no-mans land between the hive cities.
The interrupting attacks of the Lighting Claws' Scout forces prove invaluable in disrupting the enemy artillery and supply lines.
Yet, as the army already draws within sight of 'Riposte', the enemy Astartes forces start to lay ambushes near the rear-line troops. Two of them successful, costing the scouts dearly - in both cases, only the Scout Sergeant and one or two scouts make it out of the hellish retaliation strikes. In turn, the withdrawal of many traitor Astartes from the front lines, cause the hammer fall to arrive before the walls of 'Riposte' all the swifter, with less than expected casualties within the guard forces, most of which is suffered by the infantry regiments, which find the blasted battlefield to have, at places, lethal residue of some chemical weapon scattered throughout the trench network.
Void #1:
The battle starts with a slight miscommunication between the navy and the Blood Ravens, causing the Strike Cruiser Retribution to become separated from the bigger Navy formation by a fair margin.
The enemy fleet commander was obviously waiting for such an opening and send in all his ships at the Strike Cruiser, while the Navy and Mechanicus ships tried to close in at speed.
Battlemoon:
The AdMech forces found the installation to be deserted and blasted.
Obviously, the AdMech personal had had no choice but to overload the reactor in a final gesture of denying the enemy access to a potentially important installation.
Void #2:
... as the first volley of lance beams punish the void shields of the Retribution and a sword frigate bearing the emblem of the Chapter break apart as it intercepted a massed torpedo salvo aimed at the Cruiser, it becomes obvious that the enemy admiral miscounted.
The Navy battlefleet and AdMech ships come into firing distance just as the situation is getting critical for the besieged Astartes force and turn the tide of battle immediately towards the favor of HIM on Terra.
Several traitor frigates and the already damaged Cruiser die in the first minute of the now massive navy action and as the Battlebarge tries to withdrawal, one of the Blood Raven boarding parties manage to cripple its enginarium, signing the death warrant of the massive, old and corrupted battleship. It continues to deal punishing blows for nearly half an hour to come, severely damaging several of the smaller ships but in the end, it smashes into the surface of the moon, creating a several kilometers spanning crater which will be visible for further generations even from the surface of Atria with the naked eye...
The Magos is not surprised by the lack of forces on the second moon. This eventually held a 25% but he is annoyed at the inefficiency.
Recall all troops to the transport and redeploy to the surface. Let us end this.
Run targeting algorithms on hive city Riposte. If the city walls come into range you are free to target them with the Lances. Let us get this done so we can move on to our next assignment.
Only vaguely aware of the shadow war being conducted between the Astartes, the General is pleased by the progression of her forces through the no man's land. The battle of the Hives had swung decisively in the favor of the Imperium.
Crack the fallen Hive open! she orders the battle tanks and the House Elephant Imperial Knight. Then they would be joined by the stormtroopers, two units of line infantry, and the Chimera to breach the city while the House Raven Knight provides Overwatch and moves up with the artillery which will shell the inside of the city if need be.
The Lightning Claws lick their wounds and pull pack from large scale disruptions of the enemy front.
Instead they scale down to ambush operations only after fully and successfully reconning the potential ambush opporunity - as they should've been doingin the first place as it is chapter doctrine. But scouts will be scouts so even veteran sergeants can have trouble keeping them in line.
The only other operation for them is to wait until the imperial front arrives at the sites of the previous losses and claim the gene seed of the fallen scouts.
Even with two Astartes forces present, the reconquering of Hive 'Riposte' was an arduously long grinding affair, taking tolls of all Imperial forces. The heretics, under the merciless whips of their traitor Marine masters, made good use of the Hive-Fortress gun emplacement and city layout to channel the Imperial forces into one crossfire and killing field after the other. The siege and street-by-street fighting continued for a full year before the final stand of the enemy in the desecrated temple of the Emperor in the heart of the hive was finally broken. From the hive, only a quarter of its buildings remained somewhat intact, the better part of the city lies in ruin.
Together with the death toll, which lies close to 70% of the population, Atria would require serious reconstruction and recolonization effort for decades to come.
But: Atria remains in Imperial hands. The importance of this fact, will become obvious in the next century, when one of the new Tyranid hive fleet tendrils draws ever closer, called by the massive genestealer outbreak on the sectors biggest hive world: Cirillo Prime and the sub-cults spreaded throughout the sector. The reconstructed hive fortresses and battle moons managed to break the beak of a first tendril of the fleet, making the hive mind to recoil and reconsider its approach - maybe giving the Imperial Commanders just the necessary time to squash the cults in their midst and then focus on the defence against the tyrannic threat coming from the outside...
It is the nature of all things, to come to an end.
Even the greatest endeavours of men are subject to this law.
So, as with all things, the glorious endeavour that will be known throughout both Imperiums as the Indomitus Crusade, came to an end in the final days of M42.111. Thousand upon thousands of void Ships carrying million strong Imperial armies of all branches, head home - in case they still have a place to call home - or towards the closest besieged Imperial system. Yet, others have been given precise commands by the still new Regend of Terra to restore order in strategically important sectors, to counter one of the myriad of new threats or to accompany him to free the realm of Ultramar.
You, that is the Collegia Praeceptorem Pansignifica (High-Commanders of the Pansignifica Sector), were given the task to secure the Sector (and by that, the passage through the Great rift) at all cost. For some of you, it will be a homecoming. For others, it is just a new assignment in a crusaders life.
Whatever the case, your sizeable flottila makes the translation into real space in the Hope system after traversing the narrow and treacherous passage through the Great rift. The system was renamed recently, to depict the sudden shift of importance of this backwater system, which now lies right at the gate of the Passage through the rift. Immediately, you are hailed by a full Subsector fleet of the Imperial Navy. Contact, identification and establishment of command authority is quickly exchanged and you are briefed about the state of the sector - as far as the local officers know.
It seems, the sector is indeed in dire need of your combined forces. A massive genestealer outbreak is wreacking havoc in many important systems, including the sector's capital world and Orks are pressing their offensive in the southern sub-sectors with disgusting delight - and success. Chaos cultist activity has peaked again and organized warbands bearing the eight-pointed mark pillage trade routes and raid resource rich systems. And in the west, the legion-strong forces of the Great Devourer draw closer and closer, its first careful tendrils were repelled by the Atria fortress world already - but it seems clear that this is only the very first encounter in a potentially long and desperate war.
Secret, astropathic communications from your holdings in the system drip-drop in at a slow pace, now that you are on this side of the Great rift again.
Some are good.
Many are dire.
--Round 0: Hold Status--
-- Ark Mechanicus Omnissiah's Will
The Omnissiah's Will translates smoothly into realspace at the edge of the Hope system flanked by the Arclord and the Resistance and followed by her entourage of support craft. The presence of the personal ship of the Archmagos Archimandrites Prime Dominus Inveniet Fulcrum announces itself with all the assumed authority an Ark projects and immediately all Mechanicus assets in system are his. Not there was much to begin with.
Within the bowls of the 19.1km long temple to the Omnissiah manufactorums churn. Much had been lost in the Indomius crusade, though it was all necessary and at the order of the Regent. The nobility of the losses did not relieve the fact that Archmagos Fulcrum found himself severely under strength.
The Ark is currently fully supplied.
No enemy action in system
Slots available: 2/1/1
Minima 1: Start production of Skitarii Regiment (0/1 rounds)
Minima 2: Start production of Skitarii Regiment (0/1)
Vexillus 1: start production of Onager Dunecrawlers (0/3)
Exactus 1: start production of Knight Powerplant (0/2)
-- Manifold Radiance of the Omnissaiah Shipyards and Shipbreaking Yards
Orbiting the Titan Forges of the world By Iron Wrought, one of the major shipyards of the sector is a hive of activity, and all of it precisely regulated. The Crusade has brought this former moon into full production status and was currently protected by the 1st Investigatus Battle Group under the command of Magos Ohm. A constant stream of supplies flow up from the Forge and pour out of gargantuan supply ships in low orbit as sparks shine like tiny stars and play along the inside surface of the moon as the void-docks slowly churn out their magnificent product.
The Shipyard is fully supplied
No enemy action in system
Currently guarded by the 1st Investigaus Battle Group
Slots available: 1/2/3
Minima 1: Begin recruitment of Skitarii (0/1 rounds)
Vexillus 1 and 2: Begin production of Starship Hull (0/4)(0/4)
Exactus 1 and 2: Begin production of Starship Reactor (0/6)(0/6)
Exactus 3: Begin production of Starship engines (0/4)
-- Forge World By Iron Wrought
No enemy action in system
Currently guarded by the 1st Investigaus Battle Group
The home forge of the Scorched Skyfathers burns, but not from devastation. The lava rivers of the gravitationally tortured planet flow freely and the Titan Forges of Prime Forge Master Ferrus Manus grind onward producing all that the Titans require. Their numbers are unacceptable by the word of the Archmagos and the Forge Master was doing his all to remedy that situation.
The Forge is fully supplied
No enemy action in system
Slots Available: 2/2/2
Minima1 and 2: Begin production of Skitarii (0/1)(0/1)
Vexillus 1: Begin production of Warhound Chassis (0/4)
Vexillus 2: Begin production of Titan Standard Weapon[vulcan bolter] (0/2)
Exactus 1: Begin production of Warhound Reactor (0/4)
Exactus 2: Begin production of Ttian Advanced Weapon [plasma blastgun] (0/2)
Agriworld Bread for the Flesh operating at capacity.
No enemy action in system
Currently Guarded by the 2nd Investigatus Battlegroup
Promethium Refinery Ignatius Dominix operating at capacity.
No enemy action in system
--Round 0: Fleet Status--
Ark Fleet: Currently stationed in the Hope system.
The Archmagos swims in data as he reestablishes contact with his assets in this sector. The situation isn't pretty. He gathers reports and files that may need to be shared and retreats into his inner sanctum to commune with his compatriots in the field.
1st Investigatus Battlegroup: Currently stationed in the Archepex system
The Guardians of the forge By Iron Wrought take their job seriously, but none more so than Magos Ohm. His was the 1st fleet, and his was the defense of the sector. That defense had been difficult, to say the least. The return of the Archmagos was a boon and the Magos immediately uploaded his command and control protocols. All would be well with Fulcrum in play.
2nd Investigatus Battlegroup: Currently stationed in the Cornucopia system
The Magos Sparkswright had earned his stripes and his ships now bore the honors. His men bore the scars proudly. As the most blooded of the fleets, the 2nd and their Magos are the more level headed of the Archmagos' two fleets and the more experienced.
--Round 0: Ground Forces--
No ground forces deployed.