[X] 46 Jump Packs
[X] 1 Rosarius
[X] 3 Iron Halos
The full might of two Space Marine Chapters and most of a third gathered in the Beowulf Sub-Sector alongside the forces of the 1st Asgardian Crusade. A dire greenskin threat would be falling upon the sub-sector and the Asgardian Triumvirate would rise to meet it. It was easily the greatest concentration of military force in the sector since the Great Crusade and yet it barely proved to be enough to face the threat that came to the sub-sector.
The Sisters of Battle from the Order of the Sacred Storm were missing as they stayed behind to secure the Fafnir and Surtur Sub-Sectors. In their place, the Tau Empire comes to the aid of their ally, sending a dozen of their new
Hero-class Cruisers and many Contingents, their apparent equivalent to an Imperial Guard regiment. The xenos cruisers are the entirety of the new design's produced models, a relatively recent innovation that shares more in common with an Astartes strike cruiser than Tau
Merchant-class Cruiser though it leans towards firepower over speed and armour favoured by your strike cruisers.
Seven battle barges and three battleships along with dozens of cruisers and over a hundred escorts were waiting in the Beowulf Sub-Sector to repel the greenskin. Over twenty companies of Space Marines stood ready to fight either in the void or on the ground, eager to spill the blood of the filthy xenos. Countless regiments of the Asgardian Auxilia were ready for whatever foes came their way, led by the famed guardswomen of the Vanaheim Valkyries.
This mighty force was spread out across the Beowulf Sub-Sector for the Asgardians didn't know where Ironrekka would strike. The Ork Warboss would strike at the sub-sector, but the greenskin's exact target wouldn't be known until the alien made its move.
The Fortress World of Beowulf saw the elites of the defenders gathered at it. The sub-sector capital was the only way out to the wider sector and it was the most well-defended target of the dozen worlds in the Beowulf Sub-Sector. While not exclusively so, most Waaaghs from Grendel would strike at Beowulf, their warbosses rightfully viewing it as the best place for a fight. And so the Iron Sentinels and the Storm Avengers sent their veterans to the Fortress World while the
Might of Storms commanded the fleet that hung in orbit.
And yet it would not be the Orks of Waaagh! Ironrekka that came to Beowulf for the fleet that emerged from the Immaterium was that of the Dark Angels and their Successor Chapters. The sons of the Lion had come to the Beowulf Sub-Sector in force and to the sub-sector capital, they brought the former flagship of the Primarch, the
Invincible Reason.
The
Gloriana-class Battleship did not come alone. Two battle barges, one in the colours of the Angels of Vengeance and the other the Angels of Redemption, accompanied her along with five strike cruisers belonging to the Dark Angels and over three dozen escorts of assorted Imperial designs.
In terms of pure numbers, it is a somewhat lesser fleet than what the Asgardians and the Tau, but the sheer might of the
Invincible Reason was the dominating factor. Only the
Might of Storms could hope to not die against it in a fair fight, leveraging superior speed and range to whittle down the
Gloriana-class Battleship.
The Dark Angel fleet bore down on Beowulf and the sons of the Lion would not be denied. The warships of Battlefleet Asgardia were smashed aside, the valiant crews and noble vessels no match before the sheer firepower of the invading forces. A
Retribution-class Battleship tried to match blows with the
Invincible Reason and died for it. All three of the
Hero-class Cruisers stationed at the Fortress World were lost as they failed in their attempt to equal the strike cruisers of the Dark Angels.
A
Mars-class Battlecruiser slew two
Hunter-class Destroyers before suffering a plasma drive overload at the guns of a battle barge. A
Sword-class Frigate rammed into a
Gladius-class Frigate after losing the rest of its squadron. A pair of
Orca-class Escorts desperately cover the escape of a
Lunar-class Cruiser, knowing that their own doom was sealed due to their lack of any FTL drive. A
Dauntless-class Light Cruiser fails to fend off a boarding action as Dark Angels slaughter armsmen and crew in the warship's own corridors.
One by one, the warships of Battlefleet Asgardia were lost with only a handful successfully escaping into the warp. The only silver lining is that the battle is not entirely one-sided for most of the invading escorts are eliminated and even some damage is done to the hulls of the capital ship. Yet the sons of the Lion are undaunted as they take up orbit over the Fortress World.
The defending Astartes warships fared better than their mortal and xenos allies. Realising the threat for what it was and their inability to stop it, the Storm Avenger admiral held back the warships of his Chapter along with those of the Iron Sentinels and Knights of Caliban. They skirmished with the sons of the Lion, the defenders unwilling to get within gun range of the
Gloriana-class Battleship while the invaders are unwilling to break away from the invasion of the Fortress World.
Hundreds of Imperial Space Marines descended upon Beowulf, the sub-sector capital defended by the Orders of Deathwing and Stormwing as the veterans of the Iron Sentinels and Storm Avengers remained in the void, waiting for the right moment to strike. Despite being outnumbered more than two to one, the Knights of Caliban didn't stand alone. In addition to the experience and well-trained Beowulf PDF with their long and storied history of repelling the greenskins, the Asgardian Auxilia and the Vanaheim Valkyries manned the fortifications.
The Tau also lent their aid though they didn't fight directly on the frontlines. Instead they set traps to bait the Dark Angels into and carefully planned assassination attempts. Such efforts had mixed results as the sons of the Lions fought fiercely against such xenos trickery. Their battlesuits saw the greatest success, often killing an Astarte or two at great loss rather than simply being slaughtered like their drones and regular infantry.
In their greatest feat of the campaign, the Tau Fire Warriors managed to help the Vanaheim Valkyries take out a squad of the infamous Deathwing of the Dark Angels. While the warrior-women courageously held their position against the overwhelming foe, the Tau snuck in Stealth Battlesuits with Fusion Blasters while Crisis Battlesuits with Plasma Rifles flew in. Losses were grevious for both the Tau and the Valkyries, but the firepower-heavy ambush saw all ten warriors of Deathwing slain.
The orbital supremacy of the enemy didn't help matters as the invaders had no problem making judicious usage of orbital bombardment to support their attacks on the defensive lines, especially after they lost multiple Thunderhawks, Stormravens and Stormtalons to anti-air guns. As many casualties came from indiscriminate orbital bombardment on fortified positions as they did from the invading Space Marines themselves.
Yet things were still uncertain as for all their might, the sons of the Lion numbered barely five hundred and while their enemies might be mortal, their sheer numbers made the fight an uphill battle for the invaders. The ongoing war of attrition was simply favouring the defenders despite horrific casualty rate as they simply had the reserves to absorb the losses compared to the Dark Angels and their kin. And the veterans in the void hadn't been committed yet as the Storm Avengers and Iron Sentinels waited for their chance to strike at the enemy fleet.
Things would change when the originally expected foe showed up. While the Dark Angels and their allies were an unexpected foe, Waaagh! Ironrekka was still out there and the arrival of the sons of the Lion did nothing to deter the warboss' plans. Leading a massive fleet with warships packed full of boisterous and rowdy greenskins, Ironrekka showed up somewhat late for the invasion of Beowulf.
The Waaagh had grown since it had fought the Order of the Voidwing, including adding many new warships to its number. The battlekroozer had been upgraded enough to be considered a proper deadnot while the number of lesser capital ships had little over doubled in number and had an equally large expansion in escort numbers. Four terror ships, a dozen kill kroozers and a dozen lite kroozer in all with close to a hundred new escorts.
Upon arriving in the Beowulf system, the first thing that Ironrekka did was complain that he had missed the start of the fight. The second thing he did was order his fleet to attack the biggest and therefore bestest target, sending the greenskin fleet directly after the
Invincible Reason.
The Dark Angels fought boldly against the Orks, but even with the
Gloriana-class Battleship on their side, they were still outnumbered more than four to one. Kill kroozers duelled with the battle barges while lite kroozers exchanged volleys with the strike cruisers. The deadnot flagship went right after the
Invincible Reason and accordingly died for the arrogance of Ironrekka, spelling the end for the warboss. With half of their fleet already gone, it didn't take long for the surviving Ork warships to scatter, the greenskins losing their stomach to fight at the prospect of a doomed battle.
Yet despite their defeat, the xenos were at least partially successful in their goals, inflicting significant damage on the Dark Angel fleet, including wiping out the last of their escorts. Something that the Storm Avengers took full advantage of as they seized the opportunity that they had been waiting for. In the chaos of the Ork attack, the
Might of Storms swooped in and when the
Invincible Reason's void shields were brought down, the reliquary battle barge promptly teleported every veteran in Terminator Armour of the Storm Avengers and Iron Sentinels aboard the
Gloriana-class Battleship. With over a hundred hostile Terminators against them, the two squads of Deathwing were swiftly overwhelmed by the boarders and the mortal crew had no chance of faring better, especially when several assault boats full of Huskarls breached the
Invincible Reason's hull.
In a swift response to the assault on their flagship, Grand Master Aradiel and the remainder of Deathwing teleport back onto the
Invincible Reason in an attempt to reassert their control. Yet despite Deathwing's infamous prowess, the greater numbers of the boarders and the extensive usage of archeotech weapons of Storm Avengers saw their efforts in vain. To a man, they were slaughtered by grav-cannons and paragon blades even if they didn't go gently into the night.
Grand Master Aradiel put up more of a fight, slaying over two squad's worth of veterans from both Chapters before he was eventually brought down by Grimvard as the Captain of 1st Company overwhelmed him with his command squad backed up by the remains of One-Three and One-Four. It was a brutal battle, but one that not even a master swordsman like Aradiel could win. Grimvard personally struck down the leader of the Dark Angels, using the
Blade of Swift Absolution to perform the deed in an odd act of irony.
As the rest of the defending Astartes fleet surged forward, the remaining capital ships of the Dark Angels were forced to pull back and regroup, especially after the battle barge belonging to the Angels of Vengeance was captured by huskarls from the 1st Chapter Fleet. Their orbital superiority broken, things swiftly turned against the invaders on the surface as their fire support and resupply were cut off.
The Dark Angels swiftly attempted a counter-attack to reclaim the
Invincible Reason as their regrouped fleet as well as two companies from the surface launched a joint assault, unwilling to lose the flagship of their Primarch. Yet not a single Dark Angel warship got close to the
Invincible Reason as the Storm Avengers proved themselves the greater masters of void warfare.
The last invading battle barge was captured while three Dark Angel strike cruisers were destroyed with a fourth suffering crippling damage. And in return, they were only able to take out two
Gladius-class Frigates belonging to Storm Avengers. The counter-boarding action by the Angels of Vengeance and the Angels of Redemption was crushed with over half of the Space Marines involved getting killed with relatively low losses amongst the veterans of the Storm Avengers.
Things on the ground fared no better for the Dark Angels. While they continued to inflict great slaughter on the Knights of Caliban and the Asgardian Auxilia, the invaders took grievous losses of their own. Perhaps worst of all for them were the doubts among their own. Few amongst the surviving invaders had known about their legion's past and the Knights of Caliban grimly spreading the truth where they could, many sons of the Lion began to have misgivings about if they were on the right side.
In the end, the Master of Ravenwing Sammael was unable to maintain faith amongst his company with most of the survivors turning upon him for his lies. Similar defections happening within the 8th Company of the Angels of Redemption as a quarter of its original strength decided to throw their lot in with the Knights of Caliban, easily killing the last few Imperialists still amongst their number.
With their numbers rapidly dwindling, the last of the invaders made a desperate escape as the last three strike cruisers of the Dark Angels attempted to extract the survivors. The crippled strike cruiser was easily boarded and captured before any Space Marines could get aboard while another strike cruiser was boarded by the surviving Storm Avenger veterans, killing every son of the Lion who managed to escape to the vessel. The last strike cruiser was able to successfully slip away, but with only a pitiful two squads' worth of Angels of Vengeance aboard, a poor showing compared to the vast fleet that showed up.
Yet the defence of Beowulf isn't without great cost to its noble defenders. The Asgardian Auxilia lay in ruins while three in four Tau met their deaths at the hands of the sons of the Lion. The Beowulf PDF is depleted while half of the Knights of Calbian and the Storm Avengers are dead, a particularly harsh blow to the latter given they only had veterans deployed to the Fortress-World. While they suffered the least, even the Iron Sentinels paid a price for victory with over a dozen dead veterans.
33 Battle-Brothers are killed. 30 Gene-Seed Recovered. (1st Company)
1 Battle-Brother is promoted to Honour Guard. (1st Company)
19 Battle-Brothers are killed. 17 Gene-Seed Recovered. (12th Company)
Techmarine Birger Snowson is killed. Gene-Seed Recovered. (1st Company)
Chaplain Egilhard Flameson is killed. Gene-Seed Recovered. (12th Company)
Techmarine Georg Season is killed. Gene-Seed Recovered. (12th Company)
1 Predator Destructor is destroyed. 2 Gene-Seed Recovered. (1st Company)
1 Stormtalon is destroyed. 1 Gene-Seed Recovered. (1st Company)
1 Predator Destructor is destroyed. 2 Gene-Seed Recovered. (12th Company)
1 Stormtalon is destroyed. 1 Gene-Seed Recovered. (12th Company)
2 Gladius
-class Frigates are lost.
55 Battle-Brothers from Dark Angels 2nd Company defect to the Knights of Caliban.
27 Battle-Brothers from Angels of Redemption 8th Company defect to the Knights of Caliban.
Gloriana
-class Battleship Invincible Reason
is captured.
Battle Barge Night of Caliban
is captured.
Battle Barge Daughter of Redemption
is captured.
Strike Cruiser Lord Puriel
is captured.
Strike Cruiser Lord Tatraziel
is captured.
1 Strike Cruiser hull is salvageable.
2 Nova
-class Frigates are captured.
2 Cobra
-class Destroyers are captured.
***
The second-most important target in the Beowulf Sub-Sector, the Knight World of Huntrin didn't receive as much protection as the sub-sector capital, but it certainly received more than any other world. In addition to the Orders of Ironwing and Firewing, the Iron Sentinels deployed their 3rd Company while the Storm Avengers committed their 6th, 7th and 13th Companies in addition to their 2nd Chapter Fleet.
The sons of the Lion sent a similar number of Astartes with the Grand Master of the Bladeskeepers leading their 1st Company, supported by the 2nd Companies of the Guardians of the Covenant, the Angels of Absolution and the Angels of Vengeance. Unlike at Beowulf, the Successor Chapters of the 1st Legion did not have void superiority at Huntrin with only four strike cruisers and their assorted escorts to the battle barge and the half a dozen strike cruisers mustered up by the defenders along with a strong detachment of Battlefleet Asgardia, one led by an
Emperor-class Battleship.
Nevertheless, the greater number of enemy warships didn't deter the sons of the Lion, who kept up their assault on the Knight World. Attempts to intercept them were mixed as the invaders knew what they were doing and proved it on the battlefield. A boarding party took out the
Emperor-class Battleship, overloading the warp drive and destroying the battleship at the price of two terminator squads being unable to escape the explosion in time while the Angels of Vengeance successfully shook off the 2nd Chapter Fleet's attempt to intercept them.
6th Company saw some success as they attempted to board the strike cruiser of the Blades of the Covenant. Yet despite their status as boarding specialists, the Storm Avengers were thrown back with heavy losses, losing many battle-brothers of the company before the strike cruiser's plasma engine was irrevocably damaged in the fighting. The ensuing explosion destroyed the strike cruiser, slaying two squads of Storm Avengers before they could get away in addition to wiping out the entire 2nd Company of the Blades of the Covenant.
The Angels of Absolution and the Angels of Vengeance managed to make it to the surface where they faced stiff resistance. The Angels of Absolution clashed with the Asgardian crusaders, fighting the Asgardian Auxilia and the Vanaheim Valkyries while the Angels of Vengeance duelled with the Tau Cadres, Space Marines and Fire Warriors engaging in back and forth ambushes and decapitation strikes. The Bladekeepers made it to the surface shortly after where the Knights of Caliban and the Iron Sentinels pounced on them with the Astartes-on-Astartes combat seeing multiple dead on both sides.
The battle in the void didn't end with the landings on the planet however. The Storm Avengers continued to lead the remaining defending warships after the invading fleet. Most of their surviving escorts were lost and without their 1st Company to defend it, the Bladekeepers lost their warship to a concentrated strike by 7th Company and 13th Company, the strike cruiser falling into the hands of the Storm Avengers.
At this point, the surviving invaders knew that the chances of victory had slipped their grasp. Rather than fight to the last, the Bladekeepers and Angels of Absolution would escape on their remaining pair of strike cruisers while the stubborn Angels of Vengeance would sacrifice themselves to cover their escape and to kill as many of the traitors and xenos as possible. Far from the noblest of plans, but one that was necessary under the circumstances.
A necessary plan that ultimately failed to bear fruit. The Bladekeepers and most of the Angels of Absolution were able to make it aboard the strike cruisers, only to come under assault by over twice their number of Storm Avengers supported by thousands of huskarls. The sons of the Lion fought courageously and defiantly, but in the end, the Storm Avenger fleet cut off the escape of their strike cruisers, destroying one while the Storm Avengers and their warrior-serfs successfully subdued the other via boarding actions.
Things on the ground went a little better. The surviving Angels of Vengeance and the handful of remaining Angels of Absolution make a heroic last stand, slaying at least one Astartes for everyone they lost and reaping a great toll amongst the surviving Tau. Yet the numbers were against them and in the end, the sheer weight of the Asgardian Auxilia simply smothered the last of the invaders with overwhelming numbers after the local knights shattered their hasty fortifications.
68 Battle-Brothers are killed. 22 Gene-Seed Recovered. (6th Company)
15 Battle-Brothers are promoted to Veterans. (6th Company)
46 Battle-Brothers are killed. 43 Gene-Seed Recovered. (7th Company)
21 Battle-Brothers are promoted to Veterans. (7th Company)
50 Battle-Brothers are killed. 43 Gene-Seed Recovered. (13th Company)
27 Battle-Brothers are promoted to Veterans. (13th Company)
1 Battle-Brother is entombed. (13th Company)
Champion Mikael Gustson is killed. Gene-Seed Recovered. (7th Company)
Librarian Maximilian Thunderson is killed. Gene-Seed Recovered. (13th Company)
1 Razorback (Lascannon) is destroyed. 1 Gene-Seed Recovered. (6th Company)
1 Predator Destructor is destroyed. 2 Gene-Seed Recovered. (6th Company)
1 Stormraven is destroyed. 2 Gene-Seed Recovered. (6th Company)
1 Razorback (Heavy Bolter) is destroyed. 1 Gene-Seed Recovered. (7th Company)
1 Predator Annihilator is destroyed. 2 Gene-Seed Recovered. (7th Company)
3 Gladius
-class Frigates are lost.
Strike Cruiser Ferrum Veritas
is captured.
Strike Cruiser Vengeance Bound
is captured.
1 Strike Cruiser hull is salvageable.
1 Nova
-class Frigate is captured.
2 Firestorm
-class Frigates are captured.
1 Sword
-class Frigate is captured.
2 Hunter
-class Destroyers are captured.
2 Cobra
-class Destroyers are captured.
***
What do you do with the captured warships? Use plan voting.
-Battle Barges are worth 1 Honourbound Favour, Strike Cruisers are worth 1 Major Favour, Escorts are worth 1 Minor Favour.
–Battle Barges can be given to the Iron Sentinels and the Knights of Caliban. Strike Cruisers and Astartes escorts can be given to the Iron Sentinels, the Knights of Caliban and the Mechanica Sororitas. Navy Escorts can be given to the Iron Sentinels, the Knights of Caliban, the Mechanica Sororitas and Battlefleet Asgardia.
–The
Invincible Reason goes to the Knights of Caliban as they are the rightful heirs of the 1st Legion.
[ ] Write-in.
***
So it turns out that this update is going to be a four parter because there is too much going on in the Beowulf Sub-Sector to fit all of it into a single update. Anyway, I'll handle the war gear loot at the end of the next update because I want to do it all at once. Also the Knights of Caliban get the
Invincible Reason because it is their flagship.
Use plan voting and I probably had some other stuff to say, but right now, I can't remember them so there you go.
Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.
