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Chapter 5: The Battle of Victory Bay
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Part 7
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While multiple armies fought for control of Kronus, calls for reinforcements raced throughout the galaxy. Captured records reveal that arguably, first to arrive was the call for help issued by Farseer Taldeer, however to her chagrin, Biel-Tan lacked available assets to dispatch to assist her without compromising the security of their Carftworld. At the time, Biel-Tan had been confirmed as engaged in multiple campaigns and raid across eight different sectors.
Second and third to reach their destinations were the messages sent by Captain Davian Thule and General Lucas Alexander. Those contained both calls for reinforcements considering the greater Xeno and Traitor opposition faced on Kronus, as well as clarification of orders issued to the two Imperial contingents that put them in direct opposition of each other. The content of those messages gained the attention of Sector and Segmentum Munitorum and Naval Command, as well as multiple Inquisitors. Two Inquisitors raced towards Kronus to investigate, backed by elements of the Sector fleet and eight Guard Regiments available as quick reaction force.
The Tau leadership planet-side had already called for help long before the various armies that fought for Kronus arrived or made their presence known – the arrival of General Alexander in system prompted them to scream for assistance and they were lucky that a Tau Battle fleet carrying Commander Kais has been close enough to respond.
The Necrons were perhaps the last army to manifest on Kronus. Once their leader figured out the situation and the crippled state of his assets, he sent an open call for help to any and all Necron forces that could come to his aid...
Tenuous Alliances: The Kronus Campaign
by Colonel Tonev, retired
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Bridge
Rogue Trader Vessel Lucre Foedis
It wasn't often that Amberley Vail carried herself as the experienced Inquisitor she was. Usually, it was much easier, and fun, to live as the mask of a whimsical young woman she preferred to show the world at large. Then there were moments when doing so would be decidedly out of place. In the span of a few short hours, Segmentum Command, and various Inquisitorial assets in the region received three Astropathic messages concerning Kronus, a mostly forgotten civilized world in Sector Lithesh, as Mott helpfully explained.
Two of those messages, while concerning, weren't too surprising. There were always places where multiple interests clashed, both Xeno and Imperial alike. Seeing all major enemies of Humanity descent on a single worlds fighting for control, it happened often enough, given the sheer size of the Imperium.
Now, the Imperial forces planet-side shooting at each other not due to heresy or treason, but because of conflicting orders? That has been happening lately and the Inquisitors within the whole Segmentum had standing orders to investigate and get to the bottom of it. That fact by itself would have gained Amberley's interest, and the presence of five Xeno armies on Kronus was like a siren song for an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor calling her there ASAP.
It was the third message, which in fact arrived first, that had her concerned. She was to make best possible speed to Kronus after gathering available quick reaction forces. She was to secure the planet and quietly investigate what the Blood Raven's were seeking down there. It came through the usual channels, it had the proper authorizations marking it as genuine and priority order, however it lacked a clear header explaining who actually sent it.
Amberley smelled politics on this one or worse, which was never a good thing, people on the sharp end like her tended to die as a collateral damage due to such games. Still, she had her orders, and as if not more importantly, she had a mystery on her hands to solve.
"How long until we're ready to depart, Captain?" Vail addressed the lord and master of her preferred transport, the Rogue Trader Orelius.
He was a middle aged man, who had a youthful appearance thanks to his access to the proper rejuvenation treatments, paid in no small part thanks to his richly rewarded service under Amberley in particular and the Inquisition in general.
"Six hours until we're fully resupplied and have the Guard regiment in place. Three more hours for the Navy Task Force to assemble, five for the transports to be fully loaded and ready to break orbit. Seventy two hours to reach a safe distance for Warp transition."
"That's too long. We're leaving once your ship is ready, the task force will have to follow us at the best possible speed."
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Stasis chambers
Necron Tomb Complex
Pyrrhia
He dreamed of warm sun bathing his face, of cool wind's touch upon his skin, a lovely, enticing voice calling for him. He lost himself in half-forgotten echoes of the good life he lived before the war, then the dreams turned into nightmares of shattered worlds, enemy armadas that blotted the stars themselves, of the great fall, the defeat that brought all surviving Necrothyr back to the all but forgotten home-world, where they were either left to rot on the surface or if lucky, to die stuck in stasis faults within the merchant ships in orbit.
He remembered the C'tan, the fury of his people's leaders at being brought so low, the Silent King's own boundless rage at losing his Empire. He remembered the deal, remembered his own thirst of vengeance, he remembered the process, how he lost something as he walked into the great machine that stripped his flesh and soul away.
He remembered the "gifts" of the C'tan, the massive warmachine the newly minted Necrons built, their thirst of vengeance that even the bio-transference couldn't drown.
He remembered the war that followed, could still savour the despair of the Old Ones, he dreamed of their madness, of the Eldar, Krork, the abominations they unleashed during their final fall.
He remembered the great betrayer, when Necron turned upon Necron, when they shattered the few surviving C'tan… He remembered how low his people fell… Again and again, those dreams plagued him for eternity…
Then he awoke and wasn't sure if it was a dream, another nightmare, or the real thing. Status displays came to life, internal diagnostic tools activated, then a query came from the outside demanding to know his status.
Anrakyr finally awoke, still feeling the brush of soft lips on his cheek, something he hadn't experienced for eternity even before the Great Sleep. For a moment he stood frozen in place, trying to better recall the memory, or was it a dream?
The diagnostics completed themselves, showing that he was in a surprisingly good shape all things considered.
"Over sixty million years?" He exclaimed aloud once his internal system synchronized with those under control of the Caretaker Intelligence responsible for the Tomb World during the Great Sleep.
"Affirmative. Priority Alert available – request for all available support..."
Anrakyr paid no attention to the worlds and accessed the raw data. He was pleased to find out that the complex was in a great shape, especially considering it has been left to rot for an eternity and immediately figured out that he had been very lucky, either that or his counterpart had been extremely unlucky. A compromised and decayed Tomb World beset by multiple lesser species, the Aeldari, who were somehow still around the bastards, and to top it all, there were Abominations and their worshipers running around. That place just begged for proper purging… and the local Necron Lord was planning to ally himself with one of the lesser species there in order to survive. That was only going to end well…
"Do we have squatters on the surface as well and what's the status of our forces?" The Necron Lord asked aloud.
The galaxy had obviously went to ruin without proper overlords keeping things together, something that simply had to be addressed! Gaining the allegiance of the surviving forces upon that that Tomb World, not to mention actionable intelligence about potential threats and the overall status of the galaxy would be a good first step before establishing a firm plan for the future, the Necron concluded.
He received a data file from the Caretaker Intelligence, which confirmed that there was a lesser presence on the surface, though they weren't exactly squatters. Some kind of fluffy little local critter had evolved into a lesser species that was busy trying to figure proper farming. His late wife might have liked them, or not. It has been so long she has been gone, murdered during the "war" between the Necrothyr and the Old Ones, that these days, Anrakyr had trouble properly remembering her.
Deeming the locals of no interest, he turned his attention towards the status of his troops.
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Part 8
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Victory Bay outskirts
Kronus
Lieutenant Astra loved her Lighting Interceptor, she really did! That adamantite clad fact did nothing to make her dearly wish she and her comrades were flying better, much better machines. Both their supposed allies and the murderous Eldar had fighters that totally outclassed anything the Empire could put in the skies of Kronus. Fifteen minutes of fighting saw multiple Imperial squadrons decimated for little to no gain. The enemy was faster, more maneuverable, had better acceleration, and worst of all, the auspex couldn't see the real target through the countermeasures broacasted by the Eldar. That simple fact made missiles useless and forced the Imperial pilots to close in for dog-fighting, precisely the wrong thing to do when facing the Eldar.
As if to rub copious amounts of salt into the raw wounds, the only reason there were any Imperial aircraft in the air were their "allies", who flew wicked armoured tanks that turned on a dime and packed a whole squadron's worth of firepower. The Xeno aid was very cold comfort for all too many Imperial pilots, including everyone else in Erica's original squadron. During the fight above Victory Bay, she had to assume command of the shattered remains of multiple squadrons only to watch and hear them die one after another while they desperately tried to keep the enemy from blowing up the city below them.
Considering how the day had been going, Erica really shouldn't have been surprised at what happened next.
"Behind us!" Lieutenant Vitae shouted from the backseat. With the Auspex being next to useless, his primary job was to look all around and warn her when an enemy went after them from behind.
"Hold on!" Astra hissed and threw the Lighting into a dive. The interceptor shook from near misses, while she tried to find an operational AA battery to drive at, which would hopefully dissuade the Eldar pilot for pursuing her. She managed to splash one enemy fighter by baiting its pilot into a wall of AA fire that merely dinged her armoured fighter but shredded the light xeno craft.
This time, she couldn't see a single conveniently set up AA position, damn it!
The Lighting screeched and shook, its controls buckled in Aria's hands, however she managed to retain control, if barely.
"We're hit!" Vitae exclaimed, as if Erica didn't notice! "We just lost some armour I think..."
"Why are we still alive!?" Astra wondered aloud, while her head snapped every-which way searching for the Eldar fighter. A moment later she saw it overtaking the Lighting in a steep climb, trying to evade solid emerald beams. It managed to avoid three bursts, then a fourth, though the fifth scored a solid hit on the belly of the sleek fighter, which promptly vanished in a green-tinted fireball.
"Sweet merciful Emperor..." Vitae muttered as a huge Necron fighter flew past the Lighting, shook its single crescent shaped wing at them, made victory roll in full display and only then it boosted away in search for more targets.
Erica was sure she would never live it down, being saved by filthy Xeno. Either that or the fact that the damned aliens had better fighters, the bloody lucky bastards...
As it turned out, Lieutenant Astra might not have to live it down after all...
"Broadsword 1-1, Crown Actual, I've got another tasking for you. We have a single operational bomber squadron remaining, you're to assume command of our remaining air assets in the area and escort them in for a strike on the advancing Tau armour. Don't worry about the Eldar, they're beginning to disengage and our allies will continue to harass their air-power. Just concentrate on escorting those bombers in."
That was easier said than done, much easier, however Erica wasn't ready to backtalk the General-Militant in charge of all Imperial forces on Kronus. Flying in the face of the Tau's air defenses might be survivable, a firing squad or worse for disobeying order and showing cowardice in the face of the enemy? Not so much.
"Crown Actual, Broadsword 1-1, escort in a ground strike, aye. We'll do our best and then some, Broadsword 1-1, out."
"Well, it was nice knowing you, LT." Erica's Auspex officer interjected. "Huh, scanners are clearing up, the Eldar might actually be pulling back…"
"That still leaves the Tau, Marik. Broadsword 1-1 to all Aeronautica elements receiving this, form up on me above our airfields. We've got a tasking from up high."
It wasn't until then, that Erica could afford to pay any real attention to the city below and the reports she could gleam about the situation on the ground. There were dozens if not hundreds of fires blazing all over Victory Bay, flashes of green, red and white explosions lit it up, though the fighting was apparently dying down. The same couldn't be said for the outskirts. Astra flew high enough to see flashes of explosions and energy weapons all over the place, signifying heavy fighting.
"Broadsword 1-1, Thunder 1-1, I'm glad you're still around." New markers appeared on Erica's Auspex screen showing six fat and slow Marauder bombers, no doubt loaded to the brims with ordnance. If there were any Eldar left to intercept them, Lieutenant Astra knew that those machines and their crews would be dead meat.
"Thunder 1-1, Broadsword 1-1, the pleasure is mutual. We'll keep any pests away from you. Do we have a tasking?"
"Broadsword 1-1, Thunder 1-1, transmitting target coordinates now. Be advised, we've got confirmation about Tau fighters in the area harassing our tank regiments."
"Of course they are..." Erica muttered.
Only twelve interceptors converged to provide escort, a far cry from the hundred and twenty strong air wing that rose to meet the Eldar just a few minutes ago. Damned Xenos…
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"Stormguard Actual to all Storm elements, we've got the Xeno where we want them, we've got an air-strike inbound to soften them up and the artillery is finally set up and secure, with saturation barrages on the way! All units, you're free to maneuver independently. The counter-attack behinds after the first artillery barrage is complete, ETA sixty nine seconds and counting!" Colonel Fahid Roval spoke proudly into the vox. "We've done a good thing today, and we're about to do something even greater! I'm proud of every single one of you!"
He was in overall command of all armoured regiments the Guard had on Kronus, or at least what was left of them. He lost a lot of tanks and personnel during the fight with the Orks and consequent Tau treachery, however a lot of the hardware abandoned in the field would be recoverable if he won this battle. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said about his crews and drawing people from the other regiments would be merely a stopgap measure, one that would hurt future performance, just not as much as not leaving any recovered tanks back in the depot without crew. However, those were ruminations for the future, he first had to win this battle.
Venerable Leman Russ tanks made the core of his force, which he used from dug in positions to maximize their defensive advantages. He was lucky that his tanks were manufactured on proper Forge Words and were built up to speck, complete with all the advanced gear that they were supposed to have, otherwise the good old Russ would have been dead meat facing Tau armour in anything resembling realistic conditions. Even better, he had a relatively large contingent of tank-killers brought in case they faced Eldar armour, which ironically wasn't his problem – the Astartes were dealing with that monumental headache to the south.
Missiles, railgun slugs and plasma rained all over the dug in Imperial forces, and they responded in kind with direct fire, the few precious MLRS and other integrated artillery assets that General Alexander allowed him to control for this engagement. The command vehicle shook from a near miss, Roval could see tanks from both sides die thanks to direct feed provided by servo skulls and a few Necron equivalents skulking around, most importantly, he could see that the Necron armour was moving, fast too. By the time the artillery struck and the aeronautica was in position to rain hell upon the Tau, the blue bastards would find their escape road slammed shut behind them. Then they were going to die – Roval had precise orders, the Tau had to be destroyed as a field force today, and the Colonel was eagerly anticipating doing precisely that after what those blue freaks did to his regiment!
Hundreds of shells screamed overhead and Colonel Roval smiled a terrible smile. The ground shook with fire and thunder, the world doing its best to end through the intense bombardment.
"Stormguard Actual to all Stormguard Elements, attack! Show no mercy, offer no quarter! Kill them all! For the Emperor!"
