Purge of the Contqual Sub-sector



The Purge of Contqual Sub-sector was an Imperial military campaign carried out by the Iron Hands Space Marine Chapter against the Forces of Chaos. The taint of the Contqual Sub-sector began late in the year 812.M41 when the Contqual High Governor fell easy prey to the corruption of the Chaos God of Pleasure, Slaanesh. From their High Governor's court the taint spread quickly and within a single month the entire Sub-sector seethed with the corruption of Chaos. The cleansing of Contqual was tasked to the Iron Hands who have always burned with hatred for Chaos in all its myriad forms since the disaster on Istvaan V. The Iron Hands stormed into the Contqual Sub-sector with a speed akin to chained lightning, seizing several planets before resistance could even be organised by the region's Chaotics. Four Iron Hands clans were engaged throughout the sub-sector on various suppression missions.

Soon the Iron Hands identified the capital world of Shardenus as the primary source of the Chaotic corruption. The honour of cleansing this world fell to Lord Clan Commander Arven Rauth and Clan Raukaan. Though massively outnumbered and sustaining significant losses, the Iron Hands cut through the Heretics and their daemons like an ebon-armoured storm. The world was brought to heel in short order with the rest of the Sub-sector falling to the fury of the Iron Hands with equal speed, the citizens of many worlds turning on their tainted masters and pleading with the Iron Hands for mercy. But the Sons of Medusa are not known for their forgiveness and the Chapter fell on the worlds of the Sub-sector with a cleansing wrath, executing one in every three civilians in a great and bloody purge, which the Chapter intended to serve as a righteous punishment for allowing the taint of Chaos to sweep over the worlds of the Contqual sub-sector.

History
The citizens of Contqual lived a decadent and carefree existence, believing they had created a paradise free from the ugliness found throughout the rest of the Imperium. As far as Imperial scholars can determine, the taint of the Contqual Sub-sector began late in the year 812.M41 when the Contqual High Governor fell easy prey to the corruption of the Chaos God of Pleasure, Slaanesh. From their High Governor's court the taint spread quickly and within a single month the entire Sub-sector seethed with the corruption of Chaos. The task of cleansing the corruption was given to the stalwart Iron Hands Space Marine Chapter who vehemently despised Chaos in all its myriad forms. Within a matter of months the Iron Hands fell upon the Chaos-tainted sub-sector. Soon dozens of worlds capitulated to the ruthless efficiency of the unforgiving Space Marines taking control of over seventy-two percent of the Contqual sub-sector, with the enemy withdrawing across all active zones, except one. The Iron Hands soon identified the industrial world of Shardenus as the heart of corruption, with the cancer spreading from the Hive City capital of Shardenus Prime. The task of cleansing Shardenus fell to Lord Clan Commander Arven Rauth and Clan Raukaan.

Dissension Amongst The Ranks
After conducting the first-stage assaults, the Imperial commanders gathered the enormous forces at their disposal in readiness for the assault on Shardenus’s hive spires. Planetfall had been achieved with acceptable losses, mostly due to the fire unleashed by Imperial Navy destroyers from orbit as well as clinical strikes launched by Iron Hands tactical squads. No one was under any illusion that the next stage would be as easy. The spire cluster of Shardenus Prime was void-shielded, ringed with artillery-studded walls and stuffed with millions of defenders. That fortress was the principal target, the nexus of the entire campaign, the linchpin upon which the fate of a dozen worlds and billions of lives rested. Shardenus Prime was a vision of hell, a smog-choked nightmare of hyper-industry and contamination, millions of men and women lodged there. No doubt casualties would be high amongst the assaulting Imperial Guard units. This put Lord General Raji Nethata at odds with Lord Clan Commander Rauth. It was said that the Iron Hand commander was careless of those he served alongside. Casualty rate amongst the Guard had been several points higher than normal. Nethata did not like seeing his men used as expendable adjuncts to Rauth's enthusiasm, and had boldly stood up to the Astartes on several occasions.

The Lord General advocated alternative tactics, vocally, in the strategic briefings. Shardenus was a world of hives. The Prime cluster, constituted the governing centre of the planet. Many others existed across the northern continent. They processed the planet's food and weapon stockpiles. Nethata wanted to attack them first, to starve Shardenus Prime of supplies and wait for it to weaken. They would be softer targets and would be destroyed within a month's time. Lord Clan Commander Rauth rejected this plan because he could ill-afford for the principal hives to grow hungry. The hives could be taken by direct assault, in multiple locations, enabling the Imperial forces to maintain a constantly moving front. The central hive would fall once the outer spires had been compromised. Nethata objected to this plan because he knew that his forces would be ravaged. The Iron Hands commander understood this, but he also understood that all suffer who uphold the will of the Emperor. His requirement for speed was of the utmost importance, for Rauth did not know what horrors lay beyond within the spires, but he could guess - the taint of Chaos.

The God-Machines Cometh
Adding to the already formidable Imperial force arrayed against Shardenus Prime, the Adeptus Mechanicus soon joined their Imperial allies on the surface of Shardenus. A Titan Battlegroup had arrived in five massive Mechanicus vessels covered in baroque bronze imagery - angels, demigods, mythical beasts, arcane machinery of long-forgotten provenance. These mighty ships were nearly twice as tall as they were deep and wide. Almost all of their bulk taken up with single immense load-bays. Lord Clan Commander Rauth and his senior officers of the Iron Hands and Lord-General Nethata and his entire Imperial Guard force had gathered in formation to greet the lead Titan of Battlegroup Praxes. The Warlord-class Titan Terribilis Vindicta had come to Shardenus, ready to march alongside four other Titans of the fabled Legio Astorum, the "Warp Runners". The Guardsmen erupted with shouts of acclamation, reassured by the presence of the God-Machines. Unlike Space Marines, whose actions seemed to have little to do with their safety or protection, Titans were always visible, looming over the battlefield ready to unleash a hurricane of destructive hellfire at the enemy.

Signs of Chaos
Once the plan of attack was finalised, the Iron Hands led the assault on Shardenus Prime, against the outlying bunkers across the industrial wasteland known as the Gorgas Maleon, with Clave Arx (Space Marine Squad) spearheading the way. They charged forward, quickly and relentlessly, outmatching their traitor PDF adversaries with sheer ferocity. Within one of the main bunker complexes, the Iron Hands made their way slowly, purposively, purging the crowded area clean of life. At the far end of the inner chamber they found a set of doors, which they proceeded to wrench open that led to a tunnel. The tunnel led steeply down beyond, sparsely lit by fault strip-lumens. Ten metres down the tunnel was another closed doorway. Beyond the doors were multiple targets, but the Iron Hands didn't hesitate, and blasted the doors with explosives. It was here that the Astartes encountered the first signs of the Chaos threat, coming into contact with multiple Mutants tainted by Chaotic corruption, but their presence was unimportant. With cool efficiency, the Iron Hands killed in silence, clearing the outlying bunkers of the Chaos filth.

The Clave swept on, encountering several more mutants, some carrying projectile weapons, but their presence was an irrelevance. Their objective secured, the Iron Hands had come to an understanding, only too well, that this task was not judged fit for mortals. If the specimens thus far encountered were anything to be judged by, then mutation would be endemic in the spires. The Iron Hands would encounter more mutants the closer they got to the Capitolis. The troops sent to defend the Helat and the outer perimeter of the Gorgas Maleon were the least tainted, the ones the traitors were happiest to eliminate. The mutants encountered thus far were a warning - to intimidate the mortals - the enemy wished to show them what awaited them, what could happen to them if they were taken alive. The attack on the walls were imminent, and Lord Clan Commander Rauth wanted the mortals kept out of all kill missions until then, for he knew that these creatures would terrify them. For as long as possible, he wished them to fear nothing but the Sons of Medusa.

Changing Plans
After encountering the mutants and realising the full extent of what they were about to face, Lord Commander Rauth met with Lord General Nethata in the Iron Hands command headquarters to revise the plans for the main assault. Rauth informed the Nethata that the plans had changed. The Iron Hands would spearhead the assault by deploying on the Gorgas. The Imperial Guard troops were to form the spearhead against the hives, without the Space Marines' support. Nethata was incredulous at these new turn of events, for the assault plans had already been made with the expectation of the Iron Hands' involvement, there was little time to alter them. Rauth explained that the threat level from the remaining Gorgas bunkers was higher than calculated. They had to be purged before the Imperial forces could advance. Once this important task was completed the Iron Hands would join their allies in the hive. Nethata protested that the assault must wait, but the Lord Commander insisted that it would not wait.

The Lord General insisted on heavy support from the Titans of the Legio Astorum, but the Titans were not yet ready to deploy, as they were still in the preparation stage. Nethata would have to utilise the two battalions of drop-troops from the 32nd Harakoni Warhawks Regiment, plus the use of artillery cover from the 4th Galamoth Armoured. The Iron Hands commander informed the Lord General that he could debate the decision all he wished; the decision would not alter. As they spoke, the Iron Hands were already moving across the Gorgas, rooting out residual resistance and saving the Imperial Guard troops from that dangerous task. When their work was complete they would return to the main assault, and the Imperial forces would recalibrate as needed. Seeing that the Astartes commander would not budge on his decision, Nethata informed the Lord Commander that he needed to depart to ensure that the assault didn't turn into a farcical, terrible bloodbath. Changes had to be made for the imminent deployment of his troops. Rauth gave the Lord General his leave, but warned him not to delay the assault. Its timing had to remain as previously determined. Nethata informed the Lord Commander that he would record a formal protest in the campaign logs, that his men would die needlessly at the whims of an uncaring, cold-hearted metahuman commander. Rauth cared not for the Lord General's intemperate attitude. He had his orders. Before departing the Lord General informed the Lord Commander that he would see the mettle of his men, and perhaps, once he had seen what they were capable of, he would be less free with his demands and remember that they were only human. Like he used to be.

Main Assault
The spearhead of the Imperial Guard assault would be carried out by the Harakoni Warhawks. They would be honoured with the first strike of the glorious campaign against Shardenus Prime, carrying the fight to the enemy. These elite troops were to drop behind the walls of the hive from their Valkyrie assault carriers by grav-chute, break the walls and create a breach for the other regiments to come through. Such work was extremely dangerous: many would not return. But as seasoned veteran, an elite amongst Guard regiments, the Imperial command's trust was placed in the Warhawks' capable hands. Within the hives, Imperial agents and cells of insurgents loyal to the Imperium had been activated and the defence towers would be attacked from within. Galamoth artillery trains had been brought forward and would advance in the Harakoni Regiment's wake.

Within the spires, a small cell of Imperial operatives broke out of Melemar Secundus hive at ground level from the claustrophobic, sewage-clogged underhive tunnels. They made their way towards one of the defence towers, less than a kilometre away, but the disused ground between it and the Melamar spire was like a maze and strewn with half-hidden obstacles. As they made their way towards their objective the hive cluster's defence grid opened up against the encroaching Imperial attack. In the meantime, the Harakoni Valkyries had reached their full attack velocity. Moving in concert, the waves of gunships thundered over the pitted landscape of the Gorgas, sweeping in long, broken lines. None of them had fuselage lights on, and in the gloom of Shardenus’s perpetual twilight they looked like hordes of dark-winged spectres racing in for the kill. As the gunships moved closer to their objective the barrage of fire from the hive ahead of them intensified. Streams of tracer rounds found their targets, striking Vulture gunships and Valkyries, the pieces of the destroyed aircraft ploughing long trails through the ruined buildings below. Gunships kept taking direct hits and blow apart in mid-air. The volume of fire from the walls kept getting thicker - far too much to evade for long. To their credit the Harakoni pilots boldly maintained their attack speed and pushed on with their mission, regardless of the cost.

Orders were frantically relayed to the 4th Galamoth commanders to make all haste in bringing up their artillery into their designated positions, but they were hampered by the terrain. The corridors should have been cleared. Because of the lack of artillery support the waves of gunships streaking towards the hive cluster were rapidly thinned out. Close to a quarter of them were destroyed before they even reached the wall, and it was clear that the volume of fire from the defence towers were only increasing. The main regiments of Guard troops were making heavy weather of the advance. Their targets were arranged along the southeastern walls of the hive complex, between the Vannon and Rovax Gates and south of the gigantic Melamar hives, but everything was happening too slowly, and the gunships were dangerously exposed. In the absence of the Titans and the Iron Hands, the whole shape of the assault looked enormously fragile. Reserve wings were sent into the assault as ordered. Lord General Nethata ordered that all forces be diverted to the attack zone. All that was needed to ensure that the assault was a success was a breach in the wall, just one.

Suddenly fate intervened, as if the God-Emperor answered their prayers, the night sky lit up with a large neon-orange explosion. The Imperial cells within the hive cluster had successfully sabotaged one of the defence towers. Though the tower still reared up massively, dark against the dark of the sky, it burned in a roaring inferno. Gouts of flame shot out of rents in the walls as the generators on level one exploded. This caused a chain reaction as explosions bulged outward from where the ammunition deposits ignited. The Valkyrie pilots saw the explosion and banked towards it, racing towards the perimeter wall of the hive. The parapet erupted with las-fire and bolter fire, and every second another Valkyrie went down in flames, flailing and rolling into the devastation of the Gorgas wastes. The sabotaged defence tower collapsed in a riot of broken masonry. Its destruction opened up a narrow corridor between the curtains of incoming fire. Small-bore projectile weapons still shot through the night, but the space overlooked by the toppling tower was free of the worst of the devastating barrages.

Directly below the Valkyries was the parapet level of the walls, a long, flat strip that ran along the top of an immense barrier, over 30 metres wide and studded with gun-points and elevator access hatches. Flak from smaller batteries flared up at them, strafing the gunships and knocking chunks out of their armour plate. The attack carriers switched to their VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) drives and dropped low over the parapet, lowering themselves above their target. Lowering the rear ramps of their ships, the pilots informed their passengers that they were in position. One by one, the men in the crew-bays jumped from the open hatches. Once the last had exited, the Valkyries flew to a higher elevation. All across the breach in the defences, gunships broke in and unloaded their troops along the parapet, hovering on labouring engines and waiting for the signal to turn around and head back.

The Harakoni's commander, Colonel Aikino was the first to land amongst the enemy, his grav-chute giving out just before he hit the parapet. The rest of his squad came down around him, cutting out their chutes and brandishing lasguns. The drop-troops proceeded to assault the tower to the north of the breach in an attempt to widen the breach in the heretic's defences. As the Harakoni troops closed in on the tower, grey-uniformed soldiers swarmed out to meet them, emerging from hatches in the parapet floor and hunkering down behind bulkheads and strongpoints. The entire width of the parapet was soon engulfed in a firestorm of las-beams from all directions, punctuated by the bounce and crack of hurled frag grenades. Without hesitation, Aikino led the charge against the enemy as the Warhawks tore into battle alongside their commander in a wave of fury.

Exploiting the Breach
The first wave of Valkyrie attack carriers had gone in. Nearly all the troop carriers had been destroyed, either on their long attack runs or during their attempt to return to base after dropping their contingent of men. The first wave of Valkyrie attack carriers had gone in. Nearly all the troop carriers had been destroyed, either on their long attack runs or during their attempt to return to base after dropping their contingent of men. The reserve wings were already committed, hurtling straight into the line of fire and taking just as heavy casualties. Tactical feeds estimated up to a thousand Harakoni Warhawks had been deposited along the parapets – enough to attract the attention of the hive cluster’s garrisons, but not enough to sustain a position for any length of time. In the meantime, the Galamoth were finally in range and had begun their artillery barrage. Nethata was incensed at the news. Had Space Marines been available they would have been able to punch holes in the perimeter far more efficiently than mortal drop troops. The Lord General ordered the commanders of the Ferik main battle divisions to throw caution to the wind. He didn't care what their casualties were - they must close on the breach and commence the assault. He knew that the Warhawks were pinned back. Until the walls were secured, a ground assault would be a massacre. Committed fully, it would be an act of cowardice if they withdrew now.

On the south-east sector of the hive cluster walls, the battle raged just as it had been doing for over an hour. The beleaguered Harakoni drop-troops defended the areas of the walls they’d taken, though their territory was being inexorably whittled away. Beyond the walls, out in the Gorgas, the Ferik tactical brigades struggled to make much headway. Heavy munitions were dragged up into position only to be destroyed by the defence towers on the walls. The main assault on Shardenus Prime, for all its speed and daring, foundered in a bloody mire of destruction. None of the Imperial commanders looked at these signals on the hololith covering the main table in their command bunker. All of them focused intently at a whole array of light-points that had just appeared on the opposite side of the hive cluster, moving fast. They’d come out of nowhere, as if summoned from the ash of the plains. Without warning, those signals rushed up from the western hinterland zone, overlapping with the walls on the far side of the hive complex. At that moment command received a brief message from Clan Commander Rauth, ordering Lord General Nethata to maintain the assault and to disregard losses. The Space Marines had engaged the enemy across sectors 9-6 on the south-west Melamar quadrant. They did not require assistance. The Iron Hands' commander concluded his brief message, acknowledging the sacrifice of Nethata's troops, then the feed went dead, preventing any sort of reply. Much to his shock, the Lord General realised that the Iron Hands had used the Imperial Guard troops as a diversion.

Sons of Medusa Unleashed
Using the Imperial Guard assault as a diversion, the Iron Hands assaulted the Melamar quadrant of the hive clusters, inserting by Raukaan's Thunderhawk gunships. The surface of the hive wall parapet lay ten metres below, approaching fast. Las-beams and heavy bolters scythed out in all directions, aiming for the squadrons of Thunderhawks hovering over the parapets. Those shots that made contact fizzled out on the gunships’ heavy plate armour or reflected wildly out into the sky. The gunships lowered their bow-ramps and the Iron Hands of Clave Arx leapt out into the air. Soon the Space Marines crashed into the rockcrete surface of the parapet, falling from the heavens like vengeful avatars of war. The Thunderhawks shot overhead, banked sharply and brought their cannon to bear on the fixed anti-aircraft points. The Iron Hands fell in alongside one another, laying down bolter volleys in careful, discipline bursts. The squad progressed steadily, soundlessly, moving methodically through the ash-wind like red-eyed golems of Terran legend. Across the parapet, Thunderhawks dropped other claves into the battlezone. They all did the same thing – advanced steadily across the walls, heading for the defence towers and the access tubes that led further into the hive cluster.

The main defence tower loomed before them, already burning from the strafing runs of the Raukaan's Thunderhawks. Clave Arx advanced, relentlessly and methodically, killing any resistance they encountered. The Iron Hands made their way downwards, descending a long stairwell two levels down. Here they encountered makeshift barricades hastily assembled across a large domed chamber, each one manned by dozens of grey-armoured troopers. The Iron Hands didn't hesitate, charging straight at the nearest defenders and tearing them apart with thundering blasts of bolter fire and sweeping blade movements. The Space Marines ripped through the resistance like a swollen storm-wave crashing into an unprepared coast. The Iron Hands' objective lay ahead of them, on the far side of the domed chamber. Huge circular blast doors protected the entrance to the access tunnels leading into the heart of the hive cluster. Once the gateway had been taken, the rest of Shardenus Prime would open up before them, ripe for conquest. The defenders knew that just as well, and fought like daemons to hold the Iron Hands back. Despite their ferocity, Raukaan was outnumbered many times over by the massed ranks of mortal defenders. The preturnatural agility and prowess of each Space Marine was needed just to prevent them being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of incoming fire.

Behind the traitor forces, came an almighty crash. Clave Prime had entered the chamber, Chief Librarian Telach was with them, his entire battle-plate lit up with Warp lightning that slewed across his midnight-blue power armour. Beside him came the greatest warriors of Raukaan, unleashed in their full, terrible glory. Imanol, Veteran Sergeant of Clave Prime, resplendent in massive Terminator armour, barrelled into combat like some great Mechanicus war engine. His entourage, enhanced with elaborate bionics across their night-black battle-plate, were scarcely less fearsome. Dominating them all was Arven Rauth, cracking the ground beneath his imposing Terminator-clad bulk, wreathed in a lambent aura of electrical discharge. In one hand he carried a power axe, in the other a Storm Bolter, and his helm lenses flashed the colour of raw heartblood. Alongside him came Iron Father Khatir, as intimidating a presence as any of them, his gauntlets bleeding waves of blue-edged flame. Judgement had truly come to the world of Shardenus.

Lord General's Lament
Princeps Lopi informed Lord General Nethata that his Titans were now available for deployment. With the perimeter breached, the would have need of their heavy weapons soon. The walls had been compromised west of the Rovax Gate, the main assault along the eastern walls, the one led Nethata's regiments, was withdrawn after taking heavy losses. No Warhawks were recovered. Two days later, they were still patching things up. With the loss of thousands of men establishing a temporary breach in the walls, in the Lord General's view, it was accomplished with no justifiable cause. The Imperial Guard regiments had launched their assault knowing nothing of the Iron Hands' positions, of their intentions. The Space Marines had used Nethata's men to concentrate defenders along the eastern wall sections while they came in from the west. They had even commandeered units under Nethata's direct command, driving them alongside the Iron Hands own advance, wasting them in their haste to press on towards the Capitolis.

God-Machines March to War
Princeps Lopi strode forwards, locked within the throne at the heart of Terribilis Vindicta, ahead of him ran the Warhounds, loping around the ruined cityscape of the Gorgas. Vindicta came along behind at a more stately pace, walking in tandem with Castigatio. The immense, ruined pillars of the south-facing Rovax Gate loomed before them, crowned with wrecked turbo-laser housings and a vast ranked battery of disabled heavy bolters. The gate housing reared up over three hundred metres into the sky, a riot of gothic statuary and Imperial iconography. A vista of desolation opened up before the crew. Immediately ahead of them was a wide open area known as the Maw, a kilometres-wide expanse of empty parade grounds, low-profile manufactoria and disused generatoria. Imperial standards bearing the marks of the Ferik Tactical Guard units dotted the landscape, marking points where objectives had been taken. Lopi knew that the entire Maw had been cleansed following pinpoint raids by Iron Hands squads, and that the real fighting lay ahead -- in the two gigantic Melamar hives and beyond.

Lord Clan Commander Arven Rauth contacted the Princeps, requesting the Titans presence in sector 7-6, where the Iron Hands were troubled by enemy armoured units. Lopi acknowledged the Iron Hands commander and ordered his Titans to follow. In the narrow gap between two spires, designated Melamar Primus and Melamar Secundus, several groups of traitor armour had taken up position and were hurling shells into a sector of Melamar Primus that flagged up on the grid as occupied by loyalist forces. Lopi picked out a whole line of Basilisks recoiling as their payloads were unleashed. Each of them bore strange symbols in purple and grey on their armour plate, that the Titan crewmembers couldn't look at for too long. The Titans opened up with their terrifying weaponry, hurling a barrage of spitting, roaring, crackling energy into the enemy ranks. Across the devastation of the Maw, already scoured into patches of molten metal by the predations of the Iron Hands, the godmachines of Legio Astorum strode into the inferno, and on their shoulders came the storm of the Omnissiah’s wrath.

Assault on the Capitolis
As the Titans engaged the enemy in the Maw, Lord Commander Rauth ordered his Iron Hands to accelerate their advance. After cleansing the two Melamar spires, they advanced straight to the Capitolis. Rauth required the services of Chief Librarian Telach, for he possessed no intelligence on the transit routes towards their objectives. Nearly two days of fighting against a seemingly endless tide of corrupted mortals had taken its toll on his spirit, and his head throbbed within its psychic hood. Unlike his battle-brothers who fought only with physical attributes, Telach drew on the powers of the warp, and the effort required to tap into that capricious well was significant. Using his innate abilities, the Chief Librarian Telach let his consciousness drift out of his body, using his psychic sight to determine the enemy's positions. As his disembodied spirit approached the a massive gateway swept up out of the shadows, he encountered psychic resistance. As Telach masked his presence and attempted to penetrate within, he dedicated the presence of the arch-enemy. He instinctively knew that the Iron Hands had not seen the full extent of the enemy yet.

Then suddenly, something else made it's presence known. Something vast and ancient, like some creature of a deep ocean sweeping out of the abyss to feed. Even as he rushed back to his mortal body, back to where his physical form would afford him some level of protection against whatever dwelt in the Capitolis, he heard the creature’s voice, as seductive as honey, but sadistic and immeasurably, infinitely cruel. Telach broke the psychic link, his projected self snapped back into its mortal bounds. He confirmed the Lord Clan Commander's suspicions. If the Iron Hands were able to force passage through the tunnels, they would be able to forgo facing the heavy wall defences of the Capitolis. Telach warned the Lord Commander to be aware, for the presence in the Capitolis: the Iron Hands had fought it before.

In the meantime, Nethata had grown impatient with the Iron Hands, and decided to depart the relative safety of his command bunker to rendezvous with the forces under his command. He departed in his personal Baneblade Malevolentia. Nethata was thoroughly frustrated with Arven Rauth -- the implacable, inscrutable, infuriating Rauth. Getting tactical information from the clan commander was next to impossible. One moment, Rauth would demand the redeployment of whole regiments of Ferik regulars for some obscure purpose, the next he’d issue a formal protest at Nethata’s request for a single Iron Hands squad in return. Every time a detachment of Guard troops was assigned to Rauth’s command it took horrendous casualties, to the extent that Nethata had started to wonder whether his men were being gunned down by his own side. Nethata was an Imperial commander, used to having the final say over the lives of millions of men and thousands of companies. He’d always carried out that duty soberly, mindful of the many and varied factors involved in the proper conduct of war. Every order he’d issued as lord general had been made in the full knowledge that he bore the ultimate responsibility for the consequences of his actions.

Nethata had been ordered to rendezvous with the Galamoth 4th and 9th Regiments at the area known as the Maw. The coordinates came from Clan Commander Rauth. Nethata observed to the east of the principal hive spire stood a smaller structure -- a lesser spire, relatively intact along its southern face. Enemy positions lodged high up in the walls had not been the target of Rauth’s assault, and still mustered a volume of fire on his right flank. If Nethata had been in overall command, he’d have moved to neutralise that threat before pressing on towards the centre of the cluster. That would have been the prudent thing to have done. Nethata decided to make a change of plans. He knew that the Iron Hands only respected strength. He would show them strength alright -- mortal strength. He ordered his entire armoured column to proceed to their rendezvous with the Galamoth as planned, but the flanking position could not be allowed to persist.

The Iron Hands continued their relentless advance on the Capitolis. They crunched their way through a thick layer of burned, twisted and ruined bodies. Corpses stretched away fore and aft, interlocking and overlapping into a carpet of cadavers. Melamar Primus was finally secured. The tunnel approaches were now under assult. Rauth would lead the attack beyond. Though Telach had warned them of the presence in the spires, it was clear that the normally stoic Chief Librarian had been unnerved by what he'd sensed. He ordered heavy support to be put in place and to contact Princeps Lopi. He would not have the Iron Hands enter them unprepared. All claves of Clan Raukaan were to be assembled and the Librarians deployed, but most of all, he wanted the Titans. They would have the Princeps send the Warhounds in. If that didn't break the enemy's spirit, nothing would.

Princep Lopis' Warlord Titan had made its way across the open space of the Maw and through the narrow gap between the Melamar Primus and Secundus hives. Striding through the valley between sheer walls on either side, it had waded through whole detachments of heavy armour, crunching the wreckage beneath its feet and grinding the smoking remnants into the ash-soil. The enemy had nothing with which to fight back. Their tanks were too slow and too bogged down in the morass of semi-derelict buildings to respond adequately. Only its ferocious wall-mounted artillery packed a big enough punch to trouble the war machines of the Legio Astorum. Melamar Secundus had been ravaged by the relentless barrage of the Titan assault and was now a pyramid of fire. Huge rents had been gouged out of the hive’s protective plating, exposing layers of habunits within. Flames the size of Thunderhawks rippled up the precipitous edges, fed by the wind and spilled promethium. Secondary explosions rocked the spire from within, spewing out gobbets of smoke and sparks. The fire positions were black holes gouged deep into Melamar’s heart. The Princeps received the priority request from Rauth in regards to the tasking for the Warhounds. He authorised their use as fire support for the Iron Hands. The remaining Warlord Titans had bigger prey to stalk.