Third War for Armageddon

=Back Ground=

Armageddon is an [N - Class Hive World] with an estimated population of between 100,000,000,000 and 500,000,000,000 people. The massive trade and industrial out-put of Armageddon makes it a vital part of the Imperium.

The Third War for Armageddon occurred 50 years after the Second War for Armageddon. It saw the return of the Ork hordes to Armageddon along with Ghazghkull Mad Uruk Thraka. He brought with him the forces of three other major Ork leaders, the Great Despot of Dregruk, Urgok the Unstoppable and the Over-Fiend of Octarius. They each commanded vast forces, led by many other Ork Warlords.

The Ork forces, after the Second War were not idle. Ghazghkull pulled back to his strongholds in the Golgotha sector to re-group and prepare for the real fight, for what he had learnt from Gork and Mork was that to beat your enemy, you must know them. As such this made the Second War more of a tester to see how the Imperium would respond to a major invasion. Though the Imperium had won in the end, Ghazghkull saw just how easy it was to crush resistance if the leadership was ineffective. Ghazghkull used the decades to practice those tactics that would win him a major war, although he practiced on a much smaller scale so as not to draw attention to his movements. Often he went himself on the various assaults he made on several Imperial bases and docks. Later in the breather years, he destroyed a military base on Buca III by using an Ork missile platform hidden on a vast asteroid which bypassed all of the planets defences. The Imperial agri world Chigon 17 was overrun using guerrilla tactics and the Imperial Battlecruiser and its attending escorts were lost to a surprise attack. Ghazghkull then allied with the Warlord Nazdreg Ug Urdgrub to assault the Imperial world of Piscina IV. They used, for the first time, tellyporta technology. They took the defenders by surprise and were only held back by a company of Dark Angels. Although they lost, Ghazghkull had tested his greatest weapons and could begin a proper invasion plan.

The Imperial forces had not been idle since the end of the Second War either. The planet had become the centre of defence for the sector and the systems docks at St. Jowen were rebuilt and vastly expanded. Three giant, permanently manned monitoring stations were created, named after the heroes of the last war, Yarrick, Mannheim and Dante. Ground and orbital defences were rebuilt and expanded and minefields were strewn throughout the area. Even though the military may have expanded, the Hives were still under repair due to the large numbers of workers tithed into the Imperial Guard defence forces. The planet was led by a council, and that was led by General Kurov of the Imperial Guard. He led a number of xenocidal campaigns into the forests of central Armageddon and on the world of Chosin in an attempt to destroy the Feral Ork holdings that sprung up after the defeat of the Second War. Even after all of their preparations, they were still not ready.

The first sign of trouble was a series of attacks on the worlds surrounding Armageddon. Firstly it was Minerva, then Ruis. The Imperial Navy attempted to protect trade convoys but could not be everywhere at once. Eventually, Ghazghkulls attacks grew to their peak, taking 24 worlds in as many hours. After some time of this, even the most obstinate aristocrat had to realize that Ghazghkull was back, and even more dangerous. After the destruction of the Task Force Trajan by Ork forces, Kurov sent out a request to other Imperial forces for assistance, including Space Marine and Imperial Guard Regiments.

Outbreak
Fifty seven years to the day, Ghazghkulls's fleet arrived in the Armageddon sub-system. Monitoring station Dante was destroyed as the Orks approached and eventually landed forces on the planet. Together, the Mannheim and Yarrick monitoring stations reported the arrival of three more fleets, spelling disaster for the Imperial Navy, being simply outnumbered. At last count, the Ork fleet consisted of some 2000 ships and at least 12 space hulks. The navy was led by Admiral Parol, who used his forces to ambush the front section of the Ork formations but was quickly overcome and many ships were lost. Parol ordered a general retreat in an attempt to conserve his forces for a long, protracted attack. His lighter ships continued to harry the Ork navy while it slowly advanced towards Armageddon. The Orks then subjected St Jowen's Dock to a 6 day bombardment and several invasions. They rendered it completely useless to Imperial forces but failed to take it entirely. It wasn't until a Deathwatch team arrived later in the campaign that the Imperial forces took total control back.

The final few weeks before the Ork forces landed on Armageddon proper, the planet was in a frenzy of activity. Ancient Titan legions powered up their plasma reactors, Imperial Guard forces dug in and waited, Space Marines from over twenty chapters moved into the mountains and jungles, respecting their preferred area of fighting. Imperial merchant vessels were commandeered and used to run supplies and reinforcements to the planet through the Ork fleet, despite the risk. The very last transport to touch down carried the old man himself, Commissar Yarrick. The population cheered as, for the first time in twenty years, Yarrick stepped foot on Armageddon.

Yarrick met with the council to advise them on Ghazghkull's strategies. General Kurov, seeing Yarrick to have the drive and ability necessary to beat the Orks, handed control of all of the Imperial forces to him. Soon, the Ork forces began to battle through the planetary defense in high orbit. The battle lasted a mere 3 days, but by the third morning the skies above were filled with Ork landing pods and other attack craft. Hades Hive, still a virtual wreck from the last war, was the first to be destroyed. The entire hive was bombarded with hundreds of asteroids dropped from orbit. This showed Ghazghkull's distaste for another fight around Hades Hive, possibly the battle that lost him the last war. Ork drop pods began landing around Hive Volcanus, Hive Acheron and Hive Death Mire. Many of the Ork vanguard were destroyed by planetary defence lasers but soon the numbers of Orks simply overran the defenses and more Orks landed unscathed. Yarrick then ordered every Imperial aircraft into the battle in an attempt to stem the tide of further Ork incursions. Though the Imperials had the advantage of land based runways the Orks quickly overran those as well, allowing them to bring superior numbers to bare. The Imperial fighters were Thunderbolts and Furies (aircraft) and they came up against the single Ork Fighta-bommerz

Five days after the initial air combat began, Hive Acheron fell with little resistance. This was later discovered to be the work of Herman von Strab, the infamous war-criminal who escaped the Imperium at the end of the Second War. It seemed he had sided with the Orks as they sprang from hidden entrances in the Hive and seemed to work to his command. The Orks also acted as his enforcers, brute squads moved ready to enforce von Strab's will. Also, the old nobility sided with von Strab, choosing to ignore the fact that he has allied himself with the Orks. At the same time, the Hive Volcanus defenses were overrun and the Orks advanced to close proximity with the outer suburbs of the hive. The Orks pounded the hive relentlessly with heavy artillery. At Hive Death Mire, the battles fared better for Imperial forces. The Titan Legions beat back the Orks, nearly wiping out the entire Blackfire Ork tribe. Even after winning this minor battle the Ork pods kept coming and coming, never relenting. They would also regroup and attack at weakened points. It seemed Ghazghkull's plans were working. His tactics were succeeding at holding the Imperial Guard at bay while he relentlessly assaulted their positions or used hit and run tactics. Only the Space Marines had repeated success, fighting on search and destroy missions.

Ghazghkull seemed to be winning the war. Then he unleashed his greatest plans. Dozens of the gigantic Ork Roks descended from the skies, each one that landed becoming a pre-built fortress. While several were destroyed as they landed by defensive fire or from mistakes, many still survived. Each contained a tellyporta, big enough to bring down entire gargants from orbit. Commissar Yarrick himself led forces of Cadian Shock Troopers on missions to destroy the 'Roks', as well as employing the Space Marines and two Titan Legions (Legio Metallica and Legio Ignatum). After a few battles, the Space Marines led the assaults on the Roks as the Imperial Guard were losing men far too fast. The Salamanders Space Marine Chapter earned a special commendation for their work against the Roks along the Hemlock River.

While the Orks were sometimes predictable, their landings in the Fire Wastes and Dead Lands to the north and south of Armageddon confused even Yarrick. It was believed that they were uninhabitable and of no use whatsoever, however several weeks later that idea was shattered. Tanker sized submersibles rose from the waters and disembarked thousands of Orks at Hive Tempestora and Hive Helsreach. Tempestora fell quickly, so total was their surprise advantage whereas Helsreach was held only due to an amazing defense by Storm Troopers, dock workers and Space Marines. They lost control of the docks however. It was at Hive Helsreach that the Black Templars Chaplain Grimaldus, led the defense of the Temple of the Emperor Ascendant, which had stood since Armageddon's colonization. The battle became so heated that the building itself collapsed around them. It was believed that all had perished in the building until Grimaldus, bloody but unbroken, climbed out of the rubble bearing three of the temple's artifacts - a column from its Major Altar, the Banner of the Emperor Victorious, and holy water from the Stoup of Elucidation. Apothecaries who examined him later were amazed that Grimaldus had survived, much less found the strength to climb from the ruins. When the war ended, the citizens of Hive Helsreach honored him with the title of "Hero of Helsreach".

Two weeks into the battle, the first major confrontation occurred. A ten day battle over the Diabolus factory complex (Hive Infernus) raged between Warlord Burzuruk and Warlord Skarfang's Gargant mobs and the Titans of the Legio Crucius. After the battle, there were 6 Titans and 9 Gargants destroyed and many others out of use for months. The Diabolus Complex was wrecked, most blasted apart or crushed under the giant leviathans that fought above them. After the battle, Ork Speed Kults surrounded Hive Infernus, cutting it off from the outside. The city was protected by a number of Imperial Guard forces, including the Savlar Chem Dogs, and many attempts to break out were made, although they stopped after an entire regiment of Savlar's were destroyed. Several days later, as the defenders tried to develop another escape plan, news arrived of a vast horde of Orks coming around the Pallidus Mountains. Filling all the available space around Hive Infernus, and even worse they carried the banner of Ghazghkull himself. An orbital bombardment followed shortly after, pummeling the Hive while Gargants blasted its armored exterior. The last great cannon that defended Infernus was destroyed shortly after by a shell launched from orbit. The inhabitants tried to take faith in the history of Armageddon, how Yarrick had made the Orks pay for their attacks. Many did not have the faith and simply ran, but were cut down by the Ork Speed Kults. The Adeptus Arbites soon took the stance of stay or die, and executed all who attempted to leave. Then, Ghazghkull delivered a message, personally delivered by Colonel Gortar of the Savlar Chem Dogs, his body mutilated and hands and eyes removed. The message was 'Surrender or Die' which was to be heard throughout the battle at many different places from then on.

Outcome
The end of the war is clouded in mystery. It ended with a stalemate neither side being able to take control of any more strategic point until reinforcements arrived. News fed through to Yarrick that Ghazghkull had fled, possibly in his command hulk, The Perversion of Pain. With this Yarrick gathered together his forces and gave chase alongside the Black Templars crusader fleet, Black Templar High Marshal Helbrecht began a crusade to seek out and finally destroy Ghazghkull. In a daring covert operation by the 13th Penal Legion under Colonel Schaeffer, Von Strab was killed in Acheron Hive when he was tackled over the edge of a balcony by one Lieutenant Kage, both men falling to their deaths.

The state of Armageddon and its surrounding planets is dire. Most have been ravaged and with the beast out in space again, it is likely he will quickly rebuild his forces and carve out an empire for himself unless the Black Templars and Yarrick are able to stop him.

Cosmo 438 13:46, 24 November 2008 (UTC)