Prologue:

At the edge of a backwater system of planets the very fabric of reality erupted in an explosive borealis of warp lightning, tearing a rent in space time. Emerging from it was not a vessel of any kind that xenos or human eyes would recognise, it was a comet of sorts. It trailed an effervescent coma of light particles and fast fading sparks of warp light. The comet moved faster than any stellar body should, it streaked towards the systems edge faster than the speed of light hurtling towards the systems core –it passed derelict or destroyed sensor outposts, the besieged indigenous inhabitants no longer having the ability to maintain them.

The comet hurtled past a gas giant planet then it did something a comet shouldn't, it changed trajectory. It made a slingshot manoeuvre around a small terrestrial world passing between it and its only moon. It then sped towards the systems last heavenly body, it headed for a gigantic verdant forest world festooned with dozens of moons and concentric rings of asteroid belts. The comet hurtled with unerring accuracy, as if its path was guided by some unseen hand.

On its whistle stop tour it passed through ancient battle fleet graveyards, thousands of colossal ships blasted apart by apocalyptic ordinance. In the spaces between were millions of mummified and frozen corpses. In response to this sudden intrusion, objects around the planet began to move, individual ones at first then dozens, these were what could barely be described as space ships. They were a ramshackle mismatch of botched together materials given form and function, some were merely hollowed out asteroids with engines and weapons built into them.

These vessels were besieging the planet and for the first time in centuries this ragged armada found themselves at risk of being attacked in the cold void of space. If these nightmarish conglomeration of vessels intended to attack the comet they were in for a rude awakening, it was amongst them before the decrepit fleet's cogitators could hope to give an accurate reading.

The comet thundered through these vessels scattering them, it hurled itself towards the planet's atmosphere. In its path was an enormous bloated vessel which was in the middle of a lumbering turn when the comet smashed into its flank. It erupted through deck after deck, murdering its brutish occupants before they even knew what hit them. It touched off secondary fires and explosions as it went, by the time it exited the other side, it caused the overload of the vessels reactor and for the briefest moment a new star shone above the planet.

After causing the vessels demise it hurtled on through the remaining ships and asteroids. Inhabitants of the planet looked up from their cities on the night side made day by the ships demise. As the sky turned dark again those same citizens watched as the comet grew larger with every passing second. Within moments the comet hit the atmosphere and the sky caught fire, immediately afterwards twin sonic booms shattered windows on the ground on the night side for miles around.

It rocketed towards the planet's surface, shooting over its largest city, it caused so much panic amongst the populace that the ruler of Ainos, the self-proclaimed King of the planet personally donned his own Imperial Knight combat walker and headed to the battlements with his honour guard in tow.

The heat from the scorching comet could be felt from the ground, then in one second the comet was above the city then in the next it smashed into the jungle foliage barely a kilometre from the cities monumental walls. The force of the impact bleached the sky white with light and sent shockwaves for hundreds of kilometres around, shaking the foundations of the city.

Horrified engineers scurried towards the city walls with engineering equipment while soldiers charged with their defence fled from them, both parties fearing that their first and last line of defence may come crashing down around them. Outside the city walls besieging armies of brutish invaders fled from the walls fearing that some colossal weapon had been unleashed or somehow the inhabitants of the planet had got a message out and that a relief force would soon attack them from the rear.

Reaching the top of the city wall the High King given the luxury of his combat walkers height peered over the battlements looking out at the war torn expanse of blasted and burnt ground riddled with rotting xenos bodies, shell craters and burnt out war machines that stretched a kilometre from the cities walls to the jungle beyond.

'My Lord.' Stated the Master of the Watch.

'You saw it hit?' asked Lord Bravos, High King of Ainos the largest city of the planet Kerak, his expression unreadable for he was encased in his ten metre tall Knight Armour.

'I did, my Lord.'

'Your assessment, a landing craft perhaps?' asked the High King.

'It was surrounded by a burning corona of fire and light.' Replied the Master of the Watch. 'If it was a vessel I would hazard a guess that it had been shot down.'

'It has drawn the Orks away from the walls.' Stated the High King.

'We could capitalise on it, my Lord.' Put in Archduke Wilhelm, commander of Ainos's military. 'Take the fight to the greenskins?'

'You dream, Archduke.' Stated Lord Bravos. 'There isn't a Kerakian army that has struck out from their city state in centuries, we have no idea how many Orks there are out there we could be overwhelmed and defeated.'

The Archduke did not reply at first, he knew what Lord Bravos just said was true and not true, yes they did not know how many Orks were at large on Kerak but that wasn't the real reason suspected of why the Kerakian's had never taken the fight to the greenskin menace. Across the surface of Kerak were over three thousand city states if the Hall of Records was to be believed, each city state was ruled by a King claiming to be ruler of the world, with Lord Bravos claiming to be High King –a so called King of Kings. Therefore each ruler would not communicate or share power, keeping their serfs and citizens isolated and ruled by an iron fist.'

'It wouldn't me a significant leap to suggest that the object wasn't of Ork origin.' Stated the Archduke tentatively. 'If my High King would allow I would like to sanction a volunteer only recon group to head out into the wilds and scout out the impact zone.'

'No one will volunteer for such lunacy.' Countered Lord Bravos.

'That as it may be.' Stated Archduke Wilhelm. 'But I ask for you permission nonetheless.'

'Very well, Archduke Wilhelm.' Said Lord Bravos. 'You will lead the recon party personally?'

'I will, my Lord.' Stated the Archduke without hesitation, he knew this was merely a ploy to try and dissuade him from his request.'

'Then I grant you your insane request.' Replied the High King.

'Thank you my Lord.' Replied the Archduke. 'We will leave within the hour.'

It look less than an hour for Archduke to gather his substantial recon force and for the first time in at least a hundred years of the personal history of Ainos, Kerakian's were leaving the city.