Alber vander Trake

Vice Admiral Alber vander Trake was one of the senior Imperial Navy commanders who served under both Warmasters Slaydo and Macaroth during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade.

History
Vice Admiral Alber vander Trake was an experienced and proven fleet officer who had scored several successes during the post-Balhaut scouring in 765.M41. There were many who believed Trake would eventually rise to the esteemed rank of Grand Admiral of the Segmentum Pacificus Fleet in due time. Trake commanded the Intangible, one of the most magnificent and heavily armed vessels within all the rimward fleets of the Crusade. At the close of 773, Imperial intelligence placed an Archenemy formation less than two weeks away from Addolorata. Lord Militant Delayni ordered the fast attack flotilla, under command of Vice Admiral Trake to alter course from Lotun and translate to Addolorata to take up defensive station there. This Imperial flotilla was comprised of three heavy cruisers, two Brandish Class super heavy destroyers, five Sabre class light destroyers and the dreadnought Intangible commanded by Trake himself. In a brilliant executed inner run towards Addolorata, Trake managed to arrive before the forces of the Archenemy. Unfortunately for the Imperial flotilla, the systems defence grid was braced to expect enemy intrusion, attacking Trake's forces upon arrival. The Vice Admiral ordered his flotilla to return fire.

Trake soon realized he had made a gross miscalculation, as one of the three star-forts defending Addolorata fired a punishing salvo upon his ships. By this time, one of the heavy cruisers was lost and the Intangible was on fire and listed badly. The Vice Admiral's ship continued to take heavy fire as Trake tried to explain the situation to Addolorata's command-and-control. This took nearly three hours, and in the confusion one of the super heavy destroyers was vaporised with a loss of all hands. Trake finally managed to persuade the Addolorata system defence to cease fire, and tried to marshal his flotilla into a planet-guard formation. But by this time, the Intangible was foundering and close to death. To make matters worse, warp-echo traces suggested the Archenemy was not far behind them.

Trake quit the dreadnought and took command of the super heavy destroyer No Quarter. Unfortunately, matters took a turn for the worst, as Trake's second in command, Commodore Willer Waldesh had been left in command of the stricken Intangible, to oversee the evacuation and abandonment of the famous vessel. Gravely hurt in the opening phase of this unfortunate incident, for unknown reasons Waldesh ordered his gunners to obtain target solutions, and to ignite main engines, intent on attacking one of the remaining star forts. Though his actions were questionable, Imperial scholars theorize that Waldesh was either bewildered by the action or unhinged by pain. His First Officer, Bernod Falkor, quickly realized the mistake and attempted to wrest command from the lunatic Waldesh. The Commodore proceeded to shoot Falkor eight times 'for mutiny', but Falkor managed to survive long enough to kill his erstwhile commander with a bolt pistol. On course with the star fort, Falkor triggered auto-destruct, destroying the mighty vessel with all remaining hands.

Vice Admiral Trake was horrified by these tragic turns of events, apparently losing his grip on command. The Imperial flotilla was woefully under-extended as thirty Archenemy ships translated in-system. The ensuing battle lasted eight hours, with the No Quarter being lost withing the first forty-five minutes of the engagement. Trake did not live long enough to see the calamity that would befall the doomed world of Addolorata. By the next morning, Addolorata was lost and the orbiting star forts were reduced to smouldering, drifting hulks.