The War for the Aberrus System was fought between the forces of the Imperium and the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Kraken for control of the Aberrus System in the Grendl Stars region of the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy.
History[]
A tendril of Hive Fleet Kraken slithered into the Aberrus System like a venomous serpent. Countless millions of scuttling horrors flooded the system's worlds, and monstrous Bio-Titans shook the ground with each thundering step. Four Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes responded to the threat.
When the Iron Lords' ancillary scry-station on the world of Hedhan warned that Aberrus had come under attack, the Chapter responded immediately, pulling together a strike force under the command of Captain Nikeras of the 2nd Company which included elements of the 2nd, 8th and 10th Companies. If Aberrus fell, nothing would like between the Tyranids and the Grendl Stars.
The Iron Lords could not allow the Great Devourer to consume the genetic material of the hyper-violent Barghesi species they had long kept quarantined within the Grendl Stars.
Knowing the magnitude of the threat that opposed them, the Iron Lords called for allies. The Adeptus Astartes response came fron an unexpected quarter" the Lamenters Chapter. Having been ravaged by these Tyranids in the past and now reinforced with Primaris Marine brethren, they were eager for revenge, though the remained aloof from the Iron Lords, communicating only when necessary.
When the distant allies reached Aberrus, it was already drowning in bestial Tyranid bioforms. The Mining World of Saint Vaux's Hope had already fallen. The Jungle World of Luann and the Ice World of Glacemaw were deluged with millions of savage xenos creatures.
To the Space Marines' surprise, two other Chapters were already in-system. The Knights of the Raven continued their hit-and-run war of penance against Hive Fleet Kraken, and an all-Primaris Marine Battle Company of newly assigned Scythes of the Emperor desired nothing more than to spill xenos ichor.
Their goals aligned, the Chapters set to cleanse the system of its all-consuming invaders. They first had to make safe Luann and Glacemaw, with the Iron Lords and Lamenters deploying to the former, and the Knights of the Raven and the Scythes of the Emperor racing for the latter.
On Luann, the Lamenters swiftly broke through to the Four Towers -- a string of fortresses originally constructed to hold back the local carnivorous fauna -- which were each under siege. The Iron Lords made for the Hurac Mountains, observing that they could cause a colossal landslide that would sweep aside hordes of bio-constructs with well-placed and well-timed charges.
On Glacemaw, the Knights of the Raven moved rapidly over the planet's sweeping tundras. Infantry scoured them for vanguard organisms while armoured forces rushed to relieve the Lashanos Bluffs.
There the Astra Militarum's Vostroyan Firstborn 103rd Regiment were fighting alongside the 21st, 34th and 76th Glacemaw Ridgeguards, the 12th Truskan Snowhounds and several detachments of Anvarsian Ice Rangers against dozens of Bio-Titans.
Yet the arrival of the Space Marine reinforcements came none too soon, as the Luann Lineholders' 81st and 935th Regiments deployed on the Hinnoq Delta Tribridge collapsed under the pressure and the Permaberg Citadel on Glacemaw was toppled by the Tyranid assault.
The Tredi Forest on Glacemaw, viewed as impenetrable for millennia, was all but consumed -- only by the efforts of the Catachan Jungle Fighters LV Regiment, supported by the Knights of House Curtana and House Borgius and the Sisters of Battle of the Order of the Crimson Chalice, had the outer reaches been held.
The Sanctuary of Saint Vilutia was sure to fall if the forest was lost. The ice fields of Kutris crawled with Tyranid bioforms rampaging towards Glation City, which was expected to be destroyed within three local days of a concerted attack by the Tyranids.
But the arrival of the Space Marines brought a new momentum to the campaign to defend Aberrus, and Imperial forces throughout the system rallied. Though the outcome was far from certain, victory was not out of sight.
Unfortunately, the Imperial forces were unaware that a second tendril of Hive Fleet Kraken was fast approaching the Aberrus System and was twice the size of the forces the system's defenders already face.
The Ordo Xenos Inquisitor Shalisha Talaris had learned of this from her void watchers and had sent a desperate plea for aid to the Deathwatch's Indomitus Point Watch Fortress. She feared that if Aberrus fell to the Tyranids, they would sweep into the Grendl Stars and then the fate of the entire Eastern Fringe would hang in the balance.
Adeptus Astartes Order of Battle[]
The Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes that sent warriors to the Aberrus System all had a deep history of conflict with the monstrosities of Hive Fleet Kraken.
All had suffered greatly at its claws, and were eager to rip the tendril that coiled around Aberrus from the Kraken's main body.
The following information is 88.93% accurate as of the principle battles on Luann and Glacemaw. Note that multiple units apparently bearing the same squad identification markings were identified. This indicates the Adeptus Astartes' propensity to alter wargear allocated to squad-size elements depending on battlefield conditions and available equipment.
Further study indicates that squad monikers are frequently taken from the squad leader's name. The force disposition provided do not refer to command elements, ancillary vehicles, transports and other machina.
All attempts to catalogue Tyranid forces present in the system resulted in catastrophic cogitation and bio-density calculation failure. Accumulated accounts from varied local sources suggest bioform numbers in the hundreds of millions. Visual analysis of pict feeds indicates presence of 457 known bioforms, with thirteen unknown others identified.
Iron Lords[]
2nd Company
- Asmund - battleline (Intercessor) squad
- Brecoa - battleline (Tactical) squad
- Fyrenos - close support (Assault) squad
- Hama - fire support (Devastator) squad
- Cunnan - close support (Incursor) squad
8th Company
- Grettix - fire support (Devastator) squad
- Thunor - fire support (Hellblaster) squad
10th Company
- Syrcan - battleline (Infiltrator) squad
- Moerdan - Scout squad
- Lothar - Scout squad
Lamenters[]
Strike Force Letanzar
- Goriel - Veteran (Sternguard) squad
- Vitrian - fire support (Suppressor) squad
- Gallani - close support (Outrider) squad
- Tyborel - close support (Inceptor) squad
- Arteino - battleline (Tactical) squad
- Bardella - battleline (Tactical) squad
Knights of the Raven[]
Vanguard Strike Force Tristyan
- Adhemar - battleline (Infiltrator) squad
- Bardus - battleline (Infiltrator) squad
- Doran - close support (Reiver) squad
Armoured Task Force Corarikus
- Destriers of the Raven - Predator squadron
- Purgers of the Field - Whirlwind squadron
- Might of Coralax - Repulsor Executioner
Scythes of the Emperor[]
3rd Company
- Kamiol - battleline (Intercessor) squad
- Holokios - battleline (Intercessor) squad
- Lukaen - battleline (Intercessor) squad
- Furica - battleline (Infiltrator) squad
- Nesoi - battleline (Heavy Intercessor) squad
- Lantos - battleline (Heavy Intercessor) squad
- Enkalados - close support (Invader ATV) squad
- The Reapers - close support (Storm Speeder) squadron
- Macrinas - fire support (Aggressor) squad
- Gordian - fire support (Eliminator) squad
- Herennian - fire support (Hellblaster) squad
Sources[]
- Codex: Space Marines (9th Edition), pp. 24-25