Imperial Armour Volume X: The Badab War, Part 2

[Juubi Karakuchi]

Well, I've decided I may as well get this done, since I've done the first half already. After this, I might have a look at air warfare in the 40k universe, as displayed in Aeronautica Imperialis, if Connor doesn't beat me to it.

Chapter Five: The Wrath of the Imperium

Page 13

Blood in the Dark Waters
3 327 910.M41

Quite unexpecteedly, a single fire-blackened Space Marine strike cruiser, bearing unknown livery and transmitting a previously unknown vox-identity cipher exited the Warp on the outer reaches of the Cygnax system in 3327910.M41. It was the Levitus Vex, and its coming was to herald the arrival of a force whose name was to become synonymous with bloodshed and the darkest acts of the Badab War. The vessel, making contact with Imperial picquet ships set to monitor Cygnax space identified itself with ancient, although still valid, Imperial authorisation protocols. It announced the arrival of a Space Marine force come to offer their swords to the Loyalist cause against the heretics, claiming to have come in answer to a summons from Holy Terra itself. They identified their Chapter as that of the Carcharodon Astra, using the ancient form (or Space Sharks to give their name a more modern rendition in Low Gothic), and formally requested their acceptance and permission to enter the war zone and draw blood. After a fearful stand off, the Naval ships sent communications back to the Loyalist central command, and upon confirmation that the vessel was but the forerunner of an entire fleet of vessels now traversing th edge of the Golgothan Wastes, a formal deputation was dispatched to meet with the head of this war fleet under the direct command of Legate-Inquisitor Jarndyce Frain himself to ascertain its true intentions. Frain's personal involvement has led some observers to believe that he had some inkling of just who and what he was dealing with all along. Others have pointed out that Frain himself had come to distrust the honour-bound nature of the Space Marines in such matters after the treachery that had led to the death of Verant Ortys...

The Space Sharks have arrived. Frain's caution is understandable, considering what happened to Ortys (mentioned in the previous book) and what the Carcharodons turn out to be capable of.

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What little can be gleaned of this shadowed Space Marine Chapter paints them as having a strange and ancient provenance, and much about them steeped in archaic ways and secrets best left undisturbed. The Chapter's ceaseless and perpetual Crusade against the enemies of Mankind, they claimed, had taken them away from the settled and established areas of the Imperium for centuries, perhaps millenia at a time. The Chapter's existence had long since fallen from the pages of recorded history and only traces of them remained in aprocryphal sources, clouded with legend and allegory. The Carcharodons' reappearance, as if predators drawn by blood, when the Badab War was to enter its most deadly stage seemed to many a suspect one at best.

The Carcharodons are not the only chapter to engage in somewhat unusual practices. No details have been given at this point, so we pretty much have to take it on faith that they are 'odd'.

The Carcharodons make their debut in the thrust into the Endymion sector, in what was known as the Tranquility campaign, so named for the system in which the heaviest fighting took place. Before that, the Carcharodons showed their worth in the Sigard and Iblis system.

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The Sigard system was the first to taste the wrath and fury of the grey-clad Space Marines, and the Carcharadon fleet broke out of Warp directly above the system on the galactic plane, perilously close to Sigard's swollen and violent sun. Using its solar flares as a shield, the fleet split up its dozens of striking forces and devastated the numerous belt-colonies, ship-clans, and asteroid-citadels of the Sigard system, destroying in mere days and weeks what had taken millenia to build and had withstood the ravages of alien and renegade alike. An Imperial Navy scout vessel, the Resplendent Martyr, which swept Sigard in the aftermath of the attack, reported the entire system littered with wreckage and the discordant with the ghostly vox signals of dead and dying ships. It also noted that along with the wholesale destruction, much had been deliberately plundered and scavenged, both in terms of gear, resources and indeed huiman life,. It has been the conclusion of several authorities since that the choice of Sigard, with its wealth of void-colonies and infrastructure, had been the Carcharodons' fist target not simply because it had long connections with the Mantis Warriors, but because after the Carcharodons' unknown voyage from the outer darkness they had need of its bounty to replenish themselves in readiness for their part in the war.

That the Carcharodons deployed so close to the sun is interesting, in that it is widely implied in 40k written material that entering or exiting the Warp anywhere but the outer edges of a gravity well is a bad idea. The fact that the Carcharodons pulled it off without apparent loss of ships suggests that it can nonetheless be done, most likely with sufficiently skilled Navigators. That it takes them weeks to trash a well-developed system is an indication of how quickly (in relative terms) a substantial Astartes force can operate. According to the 'Rogue Trader' RPG books, Imperial escorts can manage maximum sustained accelerations of around 5g (though some are faster), while 'Battlefleet Koronus' puts the acceleration of a Retaliator class grand cruiser (the Carcharodon battle barge is described as being a Charybdis class grand cruiser, so this is the closest I could find) as being 2.5g, about the same as most cruisers. According to Cthreepo.com's calculator, it would take 5-6 days for an escort and around 8 days for the grand cruiser to travel from Earth to Pluto (around 6 billion kilometres). As such, if we take the 'weeks' as literally less than one month, making for a timescale of 3-4 weeks, then the Carcharodon fleet would have spent much of that moving around the system. That they split up their fleet makes sense, as it would most efficient for the larger ships to do the heavy work while the smaller, faster ships went after the system ships and smaller bodies. The map on Page 15 mentions 100+ orbital colonies destroyed for 45 million plus casualties.

Needless to say, the Carcharodons manage to piss off the Fire Angels with their methods. The Fire Angels are permitted to withdraw, in part because of their heavy casualties and also to avoid conflict. It is mentioned that isolated skirmishes had taken place between the two forces, making the latter a priority. On the plus side, the Mantis Warriors are effectively out of the war thanks to the Carcharodons wailing on them.

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Lugft Huron's terminator armour is described as being resistant to impact force, radiation, and directed energy. The second is of some interest with regard to the question of whether Astartes armour offers NBC capability.

His 'Ghost Razors' Lightning Claw is also mentioned, described as containing 'unidentified phase-frequency disruption fields imparted to their cutting edges' allowing them to 'slice through solid matter at a sub-molecular level, parting ceramite and adamantine plate effortlessly and sundering energy fields and force barriers'. If I have understood this correctly, the blades are effectively able to slide between molecules and sever molecular bonds. How that would work on an energy field is anyone's guess, but the description broadly fits existing fluff. It would go some way towards explaining the prowess Huron displays later on.

Chapter Six, The Tyrant stands alone

A loyalist contingent launches an assault on the feral world of Shaprias, having found the Astral Claws attempting to recruit native tribal warriors to form a new army. This process was to involve combat drugs, primitive genetic modification, and 'experimental surgery', which could imply anything from cybernetics to less drastic modifications. The Astral Claws are defeated, and a signficant stock of loyalist gene-seed is found in an armoured vault under their base.

The Red Hour
6 270 911.M41

The Salamanders' task force is hit by a 'Warp squall', and the battle barge Pyre of Glory and the light cruiser Admiral Gregorious are forced to drop out for repairs. Unfortunately they are spotted by the Astral Claws strike cruiser Hyrcania (which had been raiding in the area) whose commander, Arch-Centurion Carnac Commodus, calls for reinforcements. The Executioners' battle barge Phaeton's Wrath shows up along with its escorts, and between them they overwhelm the Salamanders.

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With the Pyre of Glory disabled, Thulsa Kane, master of the Executioners, vox-signalled the Salamanders' vessel and offered them the chance for honourable surrender, vouchsafing passage for them from the war zone under oath not to take up arms again in the conflict. Pellas Mir'san, commanding the Salamanders force, conceded to this demand, despite the misgivings of some of those under his command, knowing that otherwise his force wold be destroyed without any ability to strike back at their foe...Having himself fought alongside the Executioners Chapter centuries before as a Scout neophyte he trusted to their oath of offered surety.

There's something to be said for honour among Space Marines. One can make any number of arguments regarding the utility or morality of surrender, but in this case it seems to be the only sensible thing for Pellas Mir'san to do. Fighting to the death against fellow Astartes (only fighting out of obligation) and getting their battle barge destroyed or stolen would be completely pointless. Unfortunately, Carnac Commodus turns out to be as big an a**hole as his name implies.

Both the Phaeton's Wrath and the Hycarnia drew alongside the battered Pyre of Glory and docked. Thulsa Kane personanly leading the Executioners boarding party and accepting Mir'san's sword in surrender as the Salamanders' stood down their arms. It was then elsewhere within the great ship, the unthinkable occurred. Arch-Centurion Commodus had led his own boarding party to seize the Pyre of Glory's armouries, and thanks to the conditions of the surrender had been all but unopposed. Heedless of the consequences Commodus sought to breach the ship's sanctum vaults in search of the prize in gene-seed he hoped to find there; not only that which the Salamanders had recovered from the caverns of Shaprias, but the sons of Nocturne's own, recovered stock from the fatalities they had sustained during the war. When the Salamanders' apothecaries resisted, the snarling Commodus cut them down. The Arch-Centurion's vengeful fury unleashed, immediately he ordered the massacre of the Salamanders they had taken prisoner, commanding his Corpse Takers to strip them of their gene-seed whether alive or dead, and pitched battle broke out across the decks.

This proves a terrible mistake, as the Executioners take this breach of safe conduct very badly. Between them, the Executioners and Salamanders wipe out all Astral Claws present, right down to the Chapter serfs and servitors. The Executioners withdraw, leaving the empty Hycarnia for the Salamanders to salvage (presumably), and make a point of attacking the Astral Claws wherever they find them, though they also refuse to surrender to loyalist forces.

The Astral Claws are paying a high price for their selfishness, or at least for a grave error of judgement on Commodus' part. Considering Huron's position, the last thing he needs is to lose the Executioners.

[Ahriman238]

Imperial Assasins and Necron Lords have access to 'phase-shift' weaponry, but Huron is the only Astartes I've heard of to use it.

[Juubi Karakuchi]

Imperial Assasins and Necron Lords have access to 'phase-shift' weaponry, but Huron is the only Astartes I've heard of to use it.

An interesting connection. A theory put about at least once in the Badab war books is that the Ghost Razors were Warp-tainted and thus played a role in Huron's fall. Personally I take this explanation with a pinch of salt. Chaos corruption tends to make itself known, and beyond his personality there isn't much evidence for the involvement of the Dark Gods. The relic may have been mildly tainted, and thus contributed to Huron's increasing arrogance, hubris, and general inability to see the big picture, but no more than that.

As for the relic's origins, it must have been created some time during or after the Great Crusade, as evidenced by the possibility of interfacing it with Terminator armour, which was created in that period. The fact that such weapons can be created (for the Officio Assassinorum, at least) means it could have been created any time in the past 10,000 years. For myself, I don't subscribe to the 'gradual decline' theory of Imperial technology, for the apparent scarcity of some technologies can be explained by other factors, such as the internal politics of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Being Fabricator-General of the only Forge World capable of building certain devices brings both power and influence. The most likely bottleneck for relics like the Ghost Razors is that something like that would be incredibly difficult and costly (in terms of material, production, and human resource expenditures) to produce, even compared to something like a standard (for want of a better word) Power Sword.

[Ahriman238]

Imperial Assasins and Necron Lords have access to 'phase-shift' weaponry, but Huron is the only Astartes I've heard of to use it.

An interesting connection. A theory put about at least once in the Badab war books is that the Ghost Razors were Warp-tainted and thus played a role in Huron's fall. Personally I take this explanation with a pinch of salt. Chaos corruption tends to make itself known, and beyond his personality there isn't much evidence for the involvement of the Dark Gods. The relic may have been mildly tainted, and thus contributed to Huron's increasing arrogance, hubris, and general inability to see the big picture, but no more than that.

As for the relic's origins, it must have been created some time during or after the Great Crusade, as evidenced by the possibility of interfacing it with Terminator armour, which was created in that period. The fact that such weapons can be created (for the Officio Assassinorum, at least) means it could have been created any time in the past 10,000 years. For myself, I don't subscribe to the 'gradual decline' theory of Imperial technology, for the apparent scarcity of some technologies can be explained by other factors, such as the internal politics of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Being Fabricator-General of the only Forge World capable of building certain devices brings both power and influence. The most likely bottleneck for relics like the Ghost Razors is that something like that would be incredibly difficult and costly (in terms of material, production, and human resource expenditures) to produce, even compared to something like a standard (for want of a better word) Power Sword.

My understanding is that all the Imperial Phase Weapons are scaveneged or reforged Necron artifacts. Pariajs use them to. They easily carve through all forms of armor and energy field, and are particularly potent against Daemons.

So its unlikely to be Warp touched, which doesn't neccessarily mean it couldn't corrupt anyways.

[Juubi Karakuchi]

My understanding is that all the Imperial Phase Weapons are scaveneged or reforged Necron artifacts. Pariajs use them to. They easily carve through all forms of armor and energy field, and are particularly potent against Daemons.

So its unlikely to be Warp touched, which doesn't neccessarily mean it couldn't corrupt anyways.

That makes a lot of sense. I recall an item of fluff, I think from one of the Necron Codexes, in which a Callidus assassin loses his/her C'tan Phase Sword to the Nightbringer, who simply absorbs it.

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An Order for Death
5 319 911.M41

Following what he regarded as the treachery of his former allies, Lugft Huron announced in a recorded message that was relayed throughout the Badab Sector that the Astral Claws and their subjects were no longer a part of the Imperium of Man, an institution he saw as a "Bankrupt, rotting carcass, fit only for the grave..." but a sovereign state dedicated to "Survival and the triumph of Mankind." The Tyrant further swore that he and his followers would fight to their last breath to avenge themselves upon those who had "...betrayed us" and maintain their freedom, ending the soon-infamous recording with the statement that "The strong are strongest alone." Soon afterwards, within Huron's remaining domains, all signs and symbols of Imperial authority, culture and creed were cast down in a firestorm of iconoclasm. and the mass executions on Badab Primaris of clerics and functionaries (most of whom had remained larely ignorant of the true cause and nature of the war) were reported to have lasted for many weeks without pause. Up until this point it is to be remembered that although the Badab Secessionists had been declared heretic by the Imperium, within the worlds they had controlled the pattern of established life had gone on much as it had for many centuries, and the worship of the God Emperor had been maintained. Those prelates that had overtly disagreed with the Secesson had been removed and replaced with those more amenable to the Tyrant's cause and millions still followed their faith unimpeded, while the Sector's native defenders believed naturally enough that they fought and died in a battle against heresy, rather than in its name. No longer however was the truth concealed from the pitiable masses of the Badab Sector and in the Tyrant's spite and fury, great basilica were toppled and clergy and adepts were slaughtered (despite any prior proven allegiances). As for the Astral Claws themselves, although the practice was by no means universal, many of the Battle Brothers began to deface any semblance of Imperial heraldry and insignia from their armour and wargear, scouring it to bare metal or daubing it in reds and crimsons in representation of their blood oath of vengeance, until only the symbols of the Tyrant remained.

Huron finally declares against the Imperium in an overt fashion, laying the foundation for the Red Corsairs. Whereas previously he seemed to be fighting on the basis of his rights as a Chapter Master and his apparently genuine belief that he could get the Maelstrom Zone under some kind of control. But instead of giving him what he wanted, the Imperium demanded that he stick to the rules and do his job. My current impression of Huron is of utter self-righteousness that makes Louis de Saint-Just look like Mightily Oats. This most likely derived from a combination of his own personality, a culture of arrogance and pride (by Astartes standards) within the Astral Claws, and hubris born of his rapid rise to power. He seems to have gotten it into his head that everything he wants he can and must take, regardless of any other concerns. Now, with his strategies failing and his erstwhile allies abandoning him, Huron decides that it's all the Imperium's fault for rejecting him. Once again I can hear Wagner playing.

[Juubi Karakuchi]

Something a bit more useful this time.

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1:Void Hardened Power Armour
All suits and models of Space Marine power armour in general service are proofed against adverse atmosphereic conditions and designed to function as void suits in their own right...However, where protracted void-fighting is expected, or local void conditions are particularly hazardous (such as in high-rad drift zones, solar corona shadows and micro-meteoric storms) it has been the practice since the Great Crusade to increase the capacity of Astartes armour to withstand these hazards. This is known as void hardening, and often incorporates such features as extended air supply canisters rigged to the armour, enhacned coolant systems, ablative fracture plates and attitudinal correction units. Dependant on tradition and available resources, such modifications can either be obvious and somewhat bulky, or as in the case of Veteran Brother Hal'kar's power armour, nearly seamlessly integrated into his mark VII 'Aquila' armour as befits the artisanship for which the Salamanders Chapter is famed. In this case in particular, the extensive additional heat dispersal system the armour has been enhanced with has been stylised into the form of the armorial draconic and serpent forms adorning his armour, which glows a livid red when operating at high capacity.

This quote can be taken as confirmation of power armour giving full NBC protection, radiation having been covered earlier, while being able to function as a 'void suit' (aka space suit) means it must be completely airtight and equipped with its own air supply, which covers chemical and biological threats. That power armour can be enhanced suggests one of two things. One is that power armour was originally designed with this in mind, the other is that Astartes Techmarines are able to modify power armour for this purpose. The fact that this has been done since the Great Crusade (when power armour as it is known first appeared), implies the former, though the part about void enhancements sometimes being 'obvious and bulky' suggests that improvisation does indeed take place. That the heat dispersal system is stylized into a decorative (and probably quite intimidating) feature implies both a certain artistic flair (not itself unique to the Salamanders) and that the technology involved is sufficiently advanced to allow for it.

2: Chainsword
Since time immemorial the most commonly chosen close combat weapon of Space Marine Assault units is the chainsword. A heavy, weighted sword whose blade-housing holds an array of whirring mechanised cutting teeth, chainswords offer a high degree of flexibility and may be used for parrying and disarming a foe as well as dealing killing blows. Hal'sar's personal weapon shown here is a MK XI 'Hell's Teeth' type chainsword, a common design employed by Codex Chapters, but as is the practice among the Salamanders it has been extensively customized and modified by Hal'sar himself. In particular, the usual carborundum-alloy teeth have been repaced by molecularly-aligned and shaped obsidian shards harvested from the fire-fields of Nocturne, which while less hard-wearing than the common alloy, offer a cutting edge of extraordinary quality.

Of particular interest here is the mention of the teeth. Putting aside the schoolboy latin reference, this provides an explanation as to why every Astartes chain-weapon doesn't have teeth torn from the mouths of mica-dragons from Luther McIntyre (Kharn the Betrayer's chainaxe) or obsidian shards in this case. Exotic substances might provide advantages in some respects, but lose out in others.

3: Plasma Pistol
One of the most powerful compact hand weapoins available to the armed forces of the Imperium, plasma pistols incorporate rare and temperamental ancestor-technologies little understood by many in the current age. Hal'sar's weapon is one of the rarer MK V 'Wrathfire' patterns, more compact than the more commonplace 'Sunfury' and 'Ultra' types. It uses a mono-core design to force-compress and superheat a composite hydrogen compound fuel source into plasma which is ejected at high-velocity against its target as a thermo-explosive bolt. These weapons run the risk of catastrophic self-immolation through repeated use...

Some insight into the workings of Imperial plasma weapons. The term 'thermo-explosive bolt' got my attention, though when I looked it up I kept finding references to Stan Meyer and his water-powered dune buggy, specifically that 'thermo-explosive energy' was to be extracted from hydrogen. The description doesn't appear to cover the main problem with plasma weapons, specifically how they keep it from becoming a glorified flamethrower. It seems to imply that a plasma bolt is essentially a blob of liquid, though if it were plasma it should face the same problem, unless it's merely very hot (and hyperbolically dubbed plasma). I think my brain is melting.

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The Invasion of Piraeus
3 705 911.M41

Having waited as long as he thought strategically advantageous to gather forces for a heavy asault, Lord Commander Culln put into action his plans for the invasion and conquest of the Piraeus system on the edge of the Badab Sector. Loyalist strategic command had identified the Piraeus system as key to the subsequent attack on the central Badab system itself thanks to the relatively stable Warp route between the two regions. Piraeus would be an ideal staging post for an invasion as it already possessed extensive lunar orbital stations and minor shipyards centred around the gas giant Kritias. These facilities if seized intact would both weaken the Secessionists further and be of invaluable assistance to the Loyalists as a forward base. A plan long in the fruition, Culln had already set up a series of secondary fronts at Isin and Decaballus, where raids and hit and run actions by his own Red Scorpions Chapter along with the Minotaurs and Exorcists had destabilised much of the region and forced the Tyrant's armies to spread their outer defences thinly.

This is going to be a big one, so I'll do this a little at a time. Carab Culln is continuing to show his strategic acumen in this case, both in choosing a suitable target with regard to future operations and engaging in small-scale operations to induce the Secessionists to spread their defences thin. Unfortunately for the Loyalists, Huron has retained enough strategic understanding to figure out what they're doing, and has every intention of contesting the system. Whether or not he should have done so will become an issue later.

From the start, the invasion of the Piraeus system was subject to reversal and unexpected calamity, this first reared its head when one of the Imperial Navy cruisers, the Spear of Mezoa, suffered a catastrophic Geller Field failure as the invasion fleet left the Larsa system...hurling all onboard screaming to their doom in the Empyrean. Further unexpected turbulence in the usually stable Warp route further disrupted the ill-fated fleet, damaging and scattering several ships and forcing the remainder to arrive piecemeal into Realspace at the target system's edge, further out than had been planned and scattered over a period of many hours thanks to time distortion effects. Far from their chosen attack vector to the system, the Loyalist ships were forced to reassemble and operate at maximum thruster burn for a number of days to reach the inner worlds of Piraeus, after which time all element of surprise had been lost.

This is a tricky one to call. Much is made of the perils of the Warp, but a whole fleet being interfered-with at such a crucial time seems a bit much to be a coincidence. It is entirely possible that Chaos intervened as part of a long-term plan, or merely for its own amusement. There is also further evidence here that Imperial starships can choose to emerge from the Warp some way into the gravity well if there is a good tactical reason for doing so. However, as this quote shows there is a significant inherent risk, though the need and potential reward for achieving surprise probably made it a risk worth taking. Culln may well have considered the possibility that Huron would reinforce the system, so he needed to grab as much of what he needed intact as possible before they could arrive.

[Juubi Karakuchi]

Page 34 (continued)

With little choice but to press the attack, the Loyalist fleet reassembled itself and made best speed to engage. This fleet included some two battle barges and four strike cruisers, alongside a single battleship and six cruisers of the Imperial navy along with several squadrons of minesweepers and escorts as well as flotillas of planetary assault craft ferrying Imperial Guard and Inquisitorial forces (the latter forming a rear echelon and intended to consolidate and exploit a successful Astartes attack). Initial enemy resistance in space as expected proved insufficient to slow the attacking column down, sporadically encountered minefields were breached or bypassed without loss, and long range auguries detected only a dozen defence monitor ships and a score of locally-produced destroyers (copies of the inferior Pugius class). This defence armada would have been enough to stand off a sizable raiding force, particularly in combination with the chain of oribital weapons platforms awhich formed the second line around Piraeus V, but against the force Lord Commander Culln had assembled, they stood little chance...

These figures make in essence for a Loyalist fleet of three battleships, ten cruisers, and multiple escorts, against what amounts to a force of thirty-two escorts. The mention of specialist Minesweepers is interesting, as is the mention of 'planetary assault craft' carrying IG forces. The latter are implied to be equipped for deploying the troops (whether by landing or being able to carry and support specialised landing ships) as opposed to being a 'troop ship'. I hadn't heard of the 'Pugius' class until I read this book.

Moving on, the Loyalists break through the defences and start landing their Astartes contingents. It turns out to be an ambush, however, as the defenders open fire with hitherto concealed ground batteries against the ships in low orbit, as well as active Thunderhawks and landing craft. The Astral Claws deploy their main forces, with Huron leading, along with their fleet.

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The Secessionist armada represented the last excise of their once vaunted naval power. Its flagship was the final remaining operational battle barge in the Astral Claws fleet, the mighty and storied Seraph of Judgement, clustered around which were eight line class vessels. These were the last remnants of the Secessionist Chapter and Maelstrom Squadron fleets, including two strike cruisers, the relic Cardinal class cruiser Thoth's Hound and the Gothic class cruiser Dreadchild captured from the Karthan forces seven years before. Alongside this main force were over sixty other vessels; a ramshackle conglomeration of Chapter escorts, patrol frigates, raider craft of unknown provenance and hastily converted armed transports, at least a dozen of which proved to be fire ships; suicide weapons packed with volatile cargo and primitive atomic explosives, and driven before the main fleet. Vice-Admiral Kagawa, assaying the suddenly shifted tactical situation realised that if the Tyrant's fleet could take on the two Loyalist forces (both of which had already sustained damage and expended considerable stocks of their ordnance)separately, they might yet attain a crushing victory. But if matched against both simultaneously, the Loyalists would be far more evenly matched against them.

Kagawa's plan is to feign a retreat and rendezvous, even though it would mean abandoning their forces already on the moon. The Astartes agree with him, and escape by sling-shotting around the gas giant Kritias. The Secessionist fleet chases after them, becoming strung out due to indiscipline among the individual Captains. The Loyalist transport suffer heavy losses, and the damaged Tyrant class cruiser Gauntlet of Ages remains behind to slow the Secessionsts before being finished off by the Seraph of Judgement. Meanwhile, on the surface, Culln and Huron meet at last.

Page 37-38

The Tyrant came on in fury, bellowing his hatred and curseing the Golden Throne bitterly, while Culln fought in grim silence, every ounce of his formidable skill needed to wield his relic blade to counter the frenzy of blows rained upon him by the Tyrant's ghostly claw. Only his ancient heirloom of his Chapter, the Blade of the Scorpion, seemed proof against his enemy's blows, and within moment's of Lugft Huron's onslaught, Carab Culln had seen his storm bolter shredded like paper, his Iron Halo flicker and fail and his Terminator armour gouged and slashed in a dozen places. The wounds caused by the eerie lightning claw the Tyrant used were flowing freely with blood in defiance of Culln's Astartes-augmented metabolism. Finally, parting from the exchange of blows, did Carab Culln answer the Tyrant's taunts with accusations of his own, bellowing that Huron was a "...traitor and a cur, a cruel and petty false-king, no better than a pawn of Chaos" who had "...brought to ruin all the Astral Claws had striven and bled for these ages past for corrupt vanity and pride!"

The duel ends inconclusively, with Culln managing to break off despite his wounds. Again we see the curious qualities of Huron's lightning claw, with the added extra that it somehow prevents Culln's wounds from healing despite his enhanced physiology.

The space battle goes to the Loyalists, largely due to superior tactics and discipline. The Loyalist fleet literally manages an 'oblique pass' on the Secessionst fleet (in what amounted to a column formation), effectively managing to 'cross the T'. The battle goes to the Loyalists after the Retribution class battleship Throne of Blood manages to destroy the Seraph of Judgement, though it suffers extreme damage in the process. The battle barge Redeemer makes a fateful run at Kritias Secundus (the moon).

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Bargaining that the planetary defences would be half-blinded by the battle above them, Captain Ryder gambled all on a dangerous plan to extract the forces stranded below. Of all the Loyalist warships by a combination of good fortune and the skill of her master and crew, the Redeemer was among the least scathed, and its bays had been filled with surviving Thunderhawks from across the fleet for the emergency operation. THe vast battle barge sliced into Kritias Secundus' thin atmosphere at perilous speed, trusting in its void shields and blessed hull to keep it from breaking up under the battering force of re-entry. As predicated, the ground batteries, which had previously proven deadly against close range and slow moving targets, could not now quickly respond and panicked when faced with this comet from the heavens, the fire blaxing around her shields making the Redeemer appear as a terrible blazing sun in the sky. Although all communications to the surface had been jammed, Librarian Taloth of the Exorcists had locked in on the bright soul of Sevrin Loth and the familiar spark of his wounded master Alberec, and so the Redeemer made for its target. As it rode appallingly low in the skies, its armoured belly shearing off the tops of tower-stacks as it passed, a presure wave ran before it like a tsunami and smashed the alien forest flat, toppling buildings and armoured Space Marine alike before its fury...Immediately extraction operations got underway before the enemy could rally to the defence as the Redeemer's guns, designed for the epic battles of fleet combat, spoke like the voice of an apocalypse, rendering the ground asunder and pulverising the towers of nearby citadels. In a fraught operation lasting nearly two hours almost three in five of the Loyalist Space Marines who had made planetfall were recovered, although most of them were either casualties or bore some fresh wound or scar to mark the furious combat they had seen.

Believe in the me that believes in you! Our battle barge pierces the heavens!

All that last sequence needed was the Gurren Lagann posing on the Redeemer's prow. It would appear that it is possible for an Astartes battle barge to enter near Earth-like gravity well (datafax puts the gravity at 0.87g) and remain there for two hours before leaving. This is the first time I've found a specific mention of this, and the apparent rarity can be explained by the implied risk involved.

In the greater scheme of things, this was a defeat for the Secessionists. While they were able to hold onto Piraeus, they lost a significant proportion of their fleet including their only battle barge, leaving them in no position to engage in future offensives. All that remains is the Siege of Badab itself.

[Agent Sorchus]

Did they name off the other battle-barge involved on the loyalist side? I ask mostly because it would give us a reasonable estimate on the Exorcist Chapters strength during the Badab war, since it is known that they had two barges (During the Gothic War; Punisher and Redeemer) and 12 companies during the Third War for Armageddon.

Unless of course their strength is said further in the book/.

[Black Admiral]

Actually, we only know from the BFG ship lists that the Exorcists committed two battlebarges to the Gothic War, doesn't say how many they actually have; the White Consuls have four, but only one (the Sword of Truth) made an appearance in the Gothic War.

[Juubi Karakuchi]

The two battle barges on the Loyalist side were the Red Scorpions Sword of Ordon and the Exorcists Redeemer.

Since you asked specifically, I checked the Exorcists' section in the book. Their full strength consists of twelve companies, the last three of which are Scout companies (p. 125). Their contribution to the Badab War consisted of their 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Battle Companies, half their 1st Company, their 6th Tactical Reserve Company, and their 11th Scout Company. Their ships included two battle barges, three strike cruisers, and three squadrons of escorts for a total of seventeen ships (p. 127).

[Juubi Karakuchi]

Page 40-41

Badab System Data

A two-page spread covering the Badab system's defences. I'll cover each entry in turn, and I thought I'd include the assassin mine entry again for the sake of completeness.

Eyrine Pattern Assassin Mine
Mass: 1.2 MT
Active Terminal Range: 3,754 KM
Self-actualisation: Predatoris Maxima
Silica Anima rating: 17 (Warning)
Thrust Capacity: 123, 450/1-
Warhead (Standard): Colbol-Calicite
Yield: 36 sub-ordnance directed blast units each /20 MT
Adeptus Mechanicus Approved

As shown in the first thread, these weapons were deployed in very large numbers (a batch of several thousand activating in a relatively small area). They appear to have been deployed as part of the outer defence ring, consisting of the orbits of Badab V, VI, and VII, the outermost bodies. Aside from actually damaging ships, a possible purpose for the minefield would be to act as a tripwire, for any detonations would be easily visible elsewhere in the system.

'Ring of Steel'
Integrated globular pattern defence in depth for Badab System
Minimum 5 tier vector grid: Class Mortis-Omega:
Defence Gun platforms/Drift Mine clusters/auto-locational assassin mines/Plasma Web casters/Shrapnel Fields/ Night Basilisk units (Ref:Terran-V pattern)

The Ring of Steel is a 'globular' pattern, implying that it literally encloses the entirely solar system. It is unclear what proportion of the Badab Sector's industrial capacity this required, though the raw material requirement was considerable, as evidenced by Huron using the interdicted tithes on it.

We also see some of what the Imperium might use in a defence network such as this. Gun platforms are an obvious choice, though the seperation of 'drift mine clusters' and 'assassin mines' is interesting. My current theory is that assassin mines are 'stealthy' in some fashion, possibly remaining in a passive state until they detect something. Plasma web casters are rather exotic, and shrapnel fields could either be another kind of mine or else just fields of space junk. I have no idea what a 'Night Basilisk' is.

Sentinel-Sigma
- modified Ramilies pattern Star Fortress
- system primary astropathic relay
- outer system defence control
- Threat level 667/9/ZX

Sentinel-Sigma is in orbit of Badab VI (Sigma), and is where the Ring of Steel is controlled from. This fact will be important later.

High Guard orbital station
- Modified Inviolate pattern Star Fortress
- Threat level 876/K/9
- Formerly Chapter base

Here we have the first mention, as far as I know, of an Inviolate pattern Star Fortress, which appears (based on the threat rating) to be more powerful than a Ramilies. That in itself isn't too surprising, considering it was used by the Astral Claws as their base before Huron's coup. It orbits Badab II.

The orbital fleet anchorage is at Badab III (Rigeal), which is also a 'Tertiary class' shipyard. It would appear that a Tertiary class is only capable of handling escort-scale ships, based on previous implications and Huron's apparent inability to build larger ships, though construction time could also be an issue in that regard.

As a final point, the only major population centres are Badab II (Badab Primaris), described as a trans-solar hive world, with a population of 5.17 billion, and Badab IV (Badab Secundus) with a population of 1.1 billion.

Page 42-46

Chapter Seven - The Fall of Badab

The Silent War
3 519 912.M41

The endgame is coming up. This page mentions that while the Secessionists are in a bad way, the Loyalists are in no position to press on. It is mentioned that the Secessionists strip defences from other systems (specifically Isin and Decebalus), implying that planetary and/or orbital defences can be dismantled and moved without too much difficulty. If I've understood the calendar correcty, the 'Silent War' period lasts approximately one year (from the Battle of Pireaus in 3 705 911.M41 to 3 519 912.M41
), meaning that such could be done in a matter of months.

In other news, the Forge World Angstrom formally pledges support to the Loyalists, along with the Star Phantoms Chapter. The Loyalists' current plan is to blockade the Badab system until the wider Maelstrom Zone is something like pacified. To that end, Pellas Mir'san of the Salamanders manages to track down the Executioners and persuade them to drop out of the war. The agreement is for Thulsa Kane and his entourage to surrender and be interned on Nocturne for the rest of the war, while their remaining forces return to their homeworld under safe conduct until they can face a Consistorial Court of Inquiry. This is an example of how being honourable can sometimes be very useful, at least among Astartes.

Breaking the Ring of Steel
3 117 913.M41

With the arrival of the grim Star Phantoms' Chapter fleet carrying a powerful force fully ten companies strong, and also a maniple of battle Titans of the Legio Crucius (the Warmongers) brought in by the intervention of the Adeptus Mechanicus of Angstrom, and with several heavy warships such as the Sword of Ordon brought back into full operation, at last the final siege of Badab could begin. The initial attack itself would not be easy as Badab's infamous 'Ring of Steel' space defence globe held sufficient firepower to hold off almost any fleet of attackers and had turned the void between its planets into a deadly maze of minefields and inter-locking fire zones. No star system could be made impregnable however as history had proved countless times, and the Loyalist high command had come up with an unorthodox plan to sunder the Ring of Steel with minimal losses, allowing for an immediate planetary assault. The key to this plan was twofold and it relied both on the arcane arts of the Magos of Angstrom, and the effects of the Tyrant's own growing paranoia. The Ring of Steel's greatest vulnerability was that it was largely static, the positions of its greatest minefields and massively-armed star forts were predictable, and what few defence ships and armed vessels of any size Badab still possessed were insufficient to turn the tide against a concerted localised attack. The cornerstone of the outer system's defence was the heavily defended star fortress orbiting Sigma (Badab VI). Here Loyalist spies had discovered, at Sentinel Sigma, was the primary node of control, which the Tyrant had placed in the charge of one of the few subordinates he truly trusted, the infamous Astral Claws Captain Corien Sumatris. This was done rather than devolve the star forts and minefields control autonomously in the hands of scores of commanders he thought unreliable.

Huron's paranoia is about to get the better of him.

We have confirmation of the defence network as a globe. An interesting point is about the interplanetary space being a killing-ground, as it could imply that some of the weapons are capable of firing at interplanetary distances. I have a vague recollection of such a weapon being described, I think in Warhammer Monthly, but don't quote me on it.

My point regarding Piraeus comes up here. It is apparent that a mobile element is a vital part of any system's defences. By losing the better part of his fleet at Piraeus, Huron has seriously imperilled his chances of successfully defending the Badab system. I suppose it just goes to show, going on the attack isn't always a good idea.

Page 46-47

On 3 117 913 M.41 the Loyalist assault armada entered Realspace in the Badab system, high up on the vertical plain of the planetary system, directly on an attack course for Badab VI. The armada consisted of no fewer than six Space Marine battle barges and nine strike cruisers, along with six other Imperial navy ships of the line, an Adeptus Mechanicus War Caravel and eighty-four escorts and strike vessels of various classes. At its vanguard was the Raptorous Rex, behind which, thanks to the artisanship of the Magos of Angstrom, was towed a burning stellar core fragment torn bodily from the Bale Cascade. As the war machines of Badab sprang to life in response to the threat, thousands of gun batteries powered up and drifting clouds of assassin mines woke to murderous intent, but as their auger beams and targeting sensoria swept the onrushing armada, it was already too late to prevent what was to happen next. Swiftly reaching terminal velocity, the ponderous cyclopean bulk of the Raptorous Rex engaged its main drive at maximum power to alter course, straining against inertia to allow the hellish fire of the stellar fragment to pass it by on a collision course with the Sentinel-Sigma battle station, while the Loyalist armada fell into a spearhead formation a safe distance behind.

So...the Adeptus Mechanicus is capable of capturing and moving chunks of stars.

Moving on to something more manageable, we have some more numbers for the Ring of Steel, the gun batteries in a given area numbering in the thousands. Also, the fact that the Loyalists would go to such trouble as to weaponize a stellar core fragment strongly implies that the Ring of Steel posed a significant threat.

The defences succeed in destroying the fragment, at the cost of it knocking down Sigma-Sentinel's shields and inflicting serious damage on nearby defences. The heat and light it gives off is enough to blind the targetting systems, to the point where some of them start shooting at each-other. The battle barges Sword of Ordon and Memento Mori (of the Star Phantoms) move in to assault at point-blank range.

When at last Vaylund Cal, Iron Thane of the Sons of Medusa communicated from atop a mound of broken bodies that Sentinel-Sigma was theirs, he was joined via teleporter by the Mechanicus Lords of Angstrom. Within hours, they had achieved what Lugft Huron and hhis court had considered unthinkable, the subjugation of the station's Silica Animus, and with it access to the many machine spirits and weapons slaved to it. Incontrovertible override and destruct signals were sent out across the void.

According to this snippet, senior Tech-Priests can get control of a Ramilies pattern star fortress' 'Silica Animus' in a matter of hours. I would interpret the Silica Animus as being an AI of some kind, certainly quite sophisticated considering the workload it appears capable of handling. This calls into question the extent to which the Adeptus Mechanicus forbids the creation of artificial intelligences, though the precise definition is important. If they are following the dictum from Frank Herbert's Dune series, quote thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind, then only sapient AI would be forbidden (possibly as a leftover from the revolt of the Iron Men), leaving realms of possibility open. On that basis, a Silica Animus could be considered a very sophisticated supercomputer.

Edit - I removed a date because it kept coming up as a Skype number for some reason.
2nd Edit- issue resolved

[Bedlam]

Wouldn't you need an stunningly huge number of mines and gun platforms to cover a globe around a whole solar system?

It sounds like the mines may have moved around a bit but unless you have (hundreds?) of billions of mines there are going to be big gaps in your shield to fly ships through.

[Simon_Jester]

My impression is that we're seeing here one of the weaknesses that keeps the Marines from really dominating the 40k Imperium: their technical establishment is rather weak. The Adeptus Mechanicus have all kinds of weird tricks and tools that aren't normally available, or even conceivable, to the Astartes. So sure, they have great soldiers, but that doesn't translate into the kind of equipment it takes to fight interstellar wars effectively.

[Juubi Karakuchi]

Wouldn't you need an stunningly huge number of mines and gun platforms to cover a globe around a whole solar system?

It sounds like the mines may have moved around a bit but unless you have (hundreds?) of billions of mines there are going to be big gaps in your shield to fly ships through.

It would depend entirely on the effective ranges of the weapons, and just how many they have. The ranges of solid weapons, such as macro-cannon rounds, would be effectively infinite but for the effect of gravity. Then again, the fact that approaching ships would be moving (and evading) would seriously limit their effective range. The furthest effective range of a Lance (being a laser) would be 300,000 km, or one Light second. Torpedoes would be the weapon of choice not only because they too have an effectively infinite range, but can change course if need be (so long as they have enough fuel).

If Huron could build enough of the things to provide a globular network, then it says something for the Badab sector's industrial capacity (which is probably the only way he could have managed it). It's possible that the purpose of the outer defences is merely to funnel attackers onto routes preferred by the defenders, but even that would require vast numbers of mines and platforms (though gaps are implied).

All I can really say is that it must be that extensive. It must have taken Huron several years (implied), the industrial capacity of the entire sector, and the raw materials tithes he withheld before the war started.

[Elheru Aran]

My impression is that we're seeing here one of the weaknesses that keeps the Marines from really dominating the 40k Imperium: their technical establishment is rather weak. The Adeptus Mechanicus have all kinds of weird tricks and tools that aren't normally available, or even conceivable, to the Astartes. So sure, they have great soldiers, but that doesn't translate into the kind of equipment it takes to fight interstellar wars effectively.

Thing is, though, the Astartes don't normally need 'weird tricks and tools' to fight their battles. As long as they can get on-planet, boots on the ground, they can smite just fine. For technostuff they have their own Techmarines available, and their ships are generally fine for surviving battles and moving troops. They fit their role of shock troops pretty well, honestly, and that throws them into the limelight-- think SEAL's compared to the rest of the Navy.

Now, as part of an overall campaign, what we rarely see is that they do incorporate Imperial Navy and Guard elements in their plans of conquest, and in fact many of their wars are waged under the overall control of a non-Astartes commander for the sake of strategic unity (as well as to keep the Inquisition's suspicious eyes off their backs). As such, yes, they do lack many elements necessary for control of the Imperium, but that is neither their mission nor their desire.

[Connor MacLeod]

Something I forgot to touch on:

Well, I've decided I may as well get this done, since I've done the first half already. After this, I might have a look at air warfare in the 40k universe, as displayed in Aeronautica Imperialis, if Connor doesn't beat me to it.

I haven't looked at nor do I have any intention of touching on aeronautica Imperialis, since I dont think it has gone much of anywhere expansion-wise, and I wasn't sure if it had anything of interest really.. aside from giving aircraft air to air missile capability. So if you want to do it be my guest, and I wont have to feel bad about ignoring it.

[Juubi Karakuchi]

Something I forgot to touch on:

Well, I've decided I may as well get this done, since I've done the first half already. After this, I might have a look at air warfare in the 40k universe, as displayed in Aeronautica Imperialis, if Connor doesn't beat me to it.

I haven't looked at nor do I have any intention of touching on aeronautica Imperialis, since I dont think it has gone much of anywhere expansion-wise, and I wasn't sure if it had anything of interest really.. aside from giving aircraft air to air missile capability. So if you want to do it be my guest, and I wont have to feel bad about ignoring it.

Fair enough. If I do decide to do it, it'll be a rather short analysis.

Page 48
The Final Assault
3 118 913 M41

Further hazard to the assault was presented by the High Guard orbital station which the Astral Claws had first used as a fortress monastery before Lugft Huron had descended to take over the Palace of Thorns below. The hastily revised attack plan was to be a three-pronged offensive. The first axis of attack would be formed by two companies of Star Phantoms Space Marines attacking the High Guard orbital fortress in concert with the smaller Fire Hawks and Sons of Medusa contingents. For the second, the Carcharodons would descend in full force to the surface of Badab Primaris' hives to crush any opposition. The third and most vital attack force would be formed by the bulk of the Star Phantoms, some seven companies in strength, assisted by heavy assault elements drawn from across the Loyalist Chapters and Inquisitorial storm trooper companies. This would take the battle to the heart of the foe and besiege the Palace of Thorns itself.

The setup for the final battle. Confirmation that High Guard had been the Astral Claws fortress monastery, which may be some indication as to its size and capability. Badab Primaris is in for a rough ride.

The attack was heralded by waves of orbital bombardment and hurled debris from orbit sent to sow havoc below as weapons fire split the heavens above Badab Primaris. The sable form of the Memento Mori led the attack and was rocked with explosions as it breached the upper atmosphere, its own cannons roaring in answer and vortex missiles screaming out from its weapons decks to rip great wounds in the planet's crust. Behind the dauntless battle barge dozens of other warships swept low to unleash their deadly cargo. Blazing bright lances of energy pierced upwards and the skies darkened as wave after wave of drop pods painted in midnight black and cold grey rained down in precisely executed assaults. Brighter yet, from the halo edge of space, the Carcharodons' relic-flagship Nicor unleashed the vast plasma-destructor weapons concealed in its belly and burned a great trench in Badab's surface, sundering the bastion wall of Primaris' main city, Hive Dominar, and soon after Thunderhawks and assault rams spiralled down to exploit the breach. Such was the burning pall of smoke, swirling cinder ash and choking dust that came up, night fell over Badab's northern continent as the siege assault raged, the darkness riven with meteoric streaks of flame as wreckage fell from high above.

The Nicor's 'plasma-destructor' weapons put me in mind of the 'planet scourers' used by the Thousand Sons in 'Battle of the Fang'. The part about night falling implies enough dust being thrown up into the atmosphere to block out the sun, meaning that the Loyalist fleet has managed to inflict a nuclear winter on Badab Primaris with the first bombardment, which according to the next page had lasted a full hour by that point.
Needless to say, the Loyalists deploy their Titans and attack in force. The Tyrant's Legion fights to the death, as the Carcharadons have not offered them the chance to surrender. The civilian population fares no better.

Page 49

To the north-east of Hive Dominar lay the Palace of Thorns. Built into a mountainous volcanic plateau that rose high above the level of the hive city, it comprised a hulking, ornate citadel surrounded by wide statue-lined plazas and minaret-capped gun towers studded with defence lasers and flak batteries. This was the heart of the Astral Claws' domain and the lair of the Tyrant of Badab. Above the Palace complex's centre an actinic-bright lightning shield rippled and clashed in the air, a vast charged power field that disintegrated anything it touched and shrugged off even the firepower of the warships above. The plazas and weapons batteries that spread out beyond the Palace were not so impervious however, and it was into them the Star Phantoms descended with unmatched precision and timing, their drop pods smashing down through the ornate sepulchres and toppling needle-thin auspex-masts as they descended. Despite the blizzard of fire that had greeted them, over five hundred Battle Brothers out of the seven hundred strong force survived to make landfall, and now they set about besieging the heavily protected Palace. The combat was as fierce as any the Chapter had seen and at every turn the Star Phantoms encountered death-traps and heavily defended gun positions. They fought brutal close range engagements with Astral Claws assault squads who counter-attacked them from concealed sally-ports paying in blood for every advance. Further in, Land Raiders and Predators spilled from underground bunkers in defence of the citadel's shield wall, their power matched by the deadly accurate fire of the Star Phantoms Devastator squads and Dreadnoughts firing from the shattered towers they had already stormed.

A little 40k siege craft. The most helpful bit of information here is on the 'Lightning field', though I've never heard it called that before. It is described as a 'charged power field', implying that it is essentially a classic energy shield. This is unusual in itself, for although theatre shields have appeared in 40k before, the examples I can remember were Void shields. On that basis I'm not sure how it compares to Void shields specifically, but it is described as disintegrating anything that touches it and being capable of resisting the firepower of orbiting starships. Like the Void shield protecting Vervunhive in 'Necropolis', the Lightning field is combined with a curtain wall, suggesting that like a Void shield it needs to be anchored to the ground at its outer edge.

For anyone who's interested, the Titan contingent was provided by the Legio Crucius, otherwise known as the 'Warmongers'. This consisted of three full Maniples for a total of fifteen Titans, commanded by High Princeps Cadmon Krom aboard the Warlord class Titan Hell's Daughter. War Maniple Secutar is described as a 'Ventator subtype deployment', consisting of the Reaver class Titans Primus Secutar and Astramos Mortis Aeternem, and the Warhound class Scout Titans Wolfshead, Black Strider, and Blood of Caldos. This implies that a Maniple generally consists of five Titans, ideally with at least one full-size Titan. The Legio lost only three Titans, of which two were successfully recovered (Page 50).

Page 53

The Charcharodons decide to put an end to the war in their own way. They sabotage Hive Dominar's atomic and geo-thermal reactors, causing a planet-wide power failure. The sabotage evidently involved very large explosions, as the hives start to collapse.

All over Badab the ground began to quake and shudder as high above in orbit auguries registered the massive tectonic upheaval in the planet's sub-hive structures radiating out across ancient geological fault lines, spewing molten magma and radioactive ash up from the earth. Badab Primaris began to die.

From this, it would seem that the subterranean portion of a hive can go quite deep, which fits with the mentioned use of geothermal power. It is also deep enough that blowing up the reactors could cause severe tectonic disturbances.

The outage also disrupts the Lightning field long enough for a Star Phantoms force to breach the catacombs. Led by Captain Zhrukal Androcles, this contingent manages to fight its way through the catacombs until it encounters Huron and his personal guard, most likely attempting to escape. Huron manages to strike down Androcles, only to make the age-old mistake of gloating over his body, whereupon Androcles manages to hit Huron's Lightning Claw with his combi-melta, causing it to explode, blowing away Huron's right arm and much of his right side. This is the last image recorded by the black box in Androcles' armour, and genetic material found lying around by the Star Phantoms is later confirmed to be that of Huron.

Beneath the hives of Badab Primaris, the cascading destruction of the deep-sunk reactor cores was taking its toll. Tectonic shocks and volcanic eruptions were increasing at an exponential rate and entire hive sectors collapsed into gaping maws that opened in the ground beneath them to be replaced by seas of lava. The campaign of purgation and conquest on Badab quickly devolved into an anrachic retreat and many were caught in the path of destruction. Wherever they could be found interface vessels of any and all kinds were commandeered by Loyalist and renegade like in a desperate effort to flee.

In the anarchy and ruin that followed the fall of the hive cities, the air was filled with toxic ash and fallout, and the majority of the planet's population are estimated to have been exterminated within a few standard days. Confusion reigned in the wreckage-strewn system. Several Loyalist transports were also shot down by the blockade ships, and it is believed that at least one small Warp-capable privateer vessel managed to escape the Badab system into the Warp. Later intelligence reports suggest that less than two hundred Secessionist survivors were on board, led by Armennus Valthex and carrying with them their master's broken body.

The Badab War was over.

[Manus Celer Dei]

Imperial Assasins and Necron Lords have access to 'phase-shift' weaponry, but Huron is the only Astartes I've heard of to use it.

Cypher had a phase knife.