The Karthago Crusade, also known as the Karthargo Crusade, was one of several follow-up conflicts sparked by the conclusion of the great Badab War that began in 914.M41. The Karthago Sector of the Ultima Segmentum had been severely weakened by the fighting of the Badab War, first by the prolonged occupation of the Secessionist forces under Lufgt Huron of the Astral Claws, which stripped the sector of its wealth and most powerful weapons, and then by the Imperial counterattack launched by Loyalist forces to free its worlds.
Worse still, in the wake of several investigations conducted by the Ordos of the Inquisition, much of the ruling elite of the Karthago Sector was deemed to have been corrupted by power and greed and subsequently purged. The sector was still recovering from these blows when a great migration of Orks began to pour into the Karthago Sector.
Unable to deal with the Greenskin menace on their own, the sector's authorities issued a Segmentum-wide call for aid, marking the beginning of almost a standard century of bloodshed until the sector's borders were once again secured. With typical zeal, the Black Templars were the first to answer the call to strike down the filthy xenos, thus coining the name of the "Karthago Crusade."
The Black Templars were soon reinforced by elements of both the Libators and the Star Phantoms Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. Whereas the Libators sent three entire companies, the Star Phantoms, who were also recovering from their losses during the Badab War, could only spare their 5th Battle Company. It was this company under the command of Captain Calphax that would save the Agri-World of Kerrack from falling into the hands of Chaos during the events of the Scourging of Kerrack, thus sparing the Star Phantoms the terrible losses suffered by the Libators and Black Templars in the Crusade's disastrous conclusion.
Sources[]
- Imperial Armour Aeronautica, pg. 82