Mass Uprisings

   With both the failure of the Deathwatch to wipe out a hub of the Star Children Cult command and the renewed assault from the Hive Fleets, the Day Of Ascension has swung into over drive with cult uprisings all across the planet.

   Fighting has even occurred in PDF compounds which has resulted in whole companies of troops seemly swapping sides to help the alien invader with many an Imperial tank being seen opposing those still loyal to the throne.

   The final phase of the war for Fratribusia has now been reached. Great devourer organisms are emerging from spawning pods across the world, whose sole aim is to eat anything and everything in their path. Massive spore towers have spread and are erupting in areas behind Imperial lines. Even the planet's weather has been turned to suit the invader as the rain dissolves all it touches as a pre-digestion aid leaving the vast once verdant jungles as mere barren wastes.

   The Imperium has been left with but a single choice. How much can be saved.

Renewed assault

   While there has been a lull in the campaign for the world of Fratribusia*, in the fluff battle is still raging. The planet was supposed to be a sacrificial delaying point while the Imperium focussed on gathering forces to protect more valuable worlds, but in recent days Fratribusia looks like it might just hold despite the Imperium's plans for it.

*while painting time has struggled recently, the last month or so Monday evenings have been prime gaming time - although getting to the venue for 8pm as other games start to wrap up.

While other delaying worlds in the Western Reaches of Segmentum Pacificus were being abandoned to the mercies of Hive Fleet Leviathan, the world of Fratribusia was a rare point of defiance that sent Imperial strategists scrabbling. As more Tyranid fleets started to be drawn to the planet, the Imperium sent more assets of it's own into the conflict.

As nearby systems fell to the unstoppable Tyranid swarms and the Solblades sent to hold the lines, slowly slipped out of doomed planets, their missions complete, the shadow of the warp grew stronger with every devoured world, until almost nothing could be heard from those planets that still held out.

One message that burned out of the minds of 4 adepts of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica on the planet Sanctum, a key Anchor World, simply said 'Fratribusia stands - For the Emperor'.

Lord Commander Solar Arcadian Leontus authorised a limited response from Solblades recently drawn back to evaluate this claim.

What was unknown to the Imperium as a whole and the remaining authorities on Fratribusia was how deep the rot had gone.

The first message was followed days later by a second, this one bypassing the normal telepathic routes and bearing a cypher that could not be easily cracked. It went to a lifeless asteroid field in the Sedna region.

As the planet's leadership waited for a response, the war carried on. The Ossuary Brotherhood conducted targeted raids on reports of Lictor Organism build ups in an attempt to disrupt the xenos.

While the Dark Angels struck at genestealer cult risings to try and push the conflict back to as few fronts as possible.

++ Message to the Watch Commander of Watch station Sedna +++

Commander

It is as we feared, the Ecrin Mission of the Order of the Fallen Angel has been infected with the taint of the enemy.

Authorise insertion of assets Valorous and Exemplar to purge the rot.

Code Gamma-Gamma-zeta-5 seal of Inquisitor Ferumor Ordo Xenos

Thought for the day: 

Ruthlessness is the kindness of the wise

 +++ Message Ends +++

While the strike team from the Deathwatch failed in their mission and the sky children cult continued its insidious spread, more ships broke from the warp at the edge of the Fratribusia system. Led by The High Lord of Terra herself, Morvenn Vahl, the fleet held the remnants of a handful of Astra Militarum regiments pulled from other doomed conflicts, Solblades from the Adeptus Astartes chapters Aurora Knights and White Panthers and a sizeable force of Adepta Sororitas.

Finding that the planet did indeed seem to be holding out, Morvenn Vahl ordered a rapid deployment of the troops under her command, with the High Lord leading a mission from the Order of the Fallen Angel straight into the teeth of a Tyranid swarm.

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The Endless Swarm

   With the Imperium's resources stretched to it's limit another swarm has been allowed to build in the jungle which required extermination, this time the Order of the Fallen Angel was in a position to respond. With an entirely mobile force* the Adepta Sororitas raced to confront the threat before it had time to make it to the closest settlement, or worse, build further.

*he knows I hate trying to kill Rhinos

   The end result was a fairy close victory for the Imperium, with the highest casualty count of any battle in the campaign so far. It does now mean the defenders of Fratribusia are starting to pull a victory out of the bag, that is until I sent the next bit of fluff to the group chat . . .

The Solblades that arrived on Fratribusia have been holding the xenos menace at bay but they are slowly losing ground. Every casualty lost to the Imperium is irreplaceable and numbers will tell with time, but holding the line forever was not why the Lord Regent Robute Gulliman sent the Solblades out.
Fratribusia was never meant to be held. It was always a delaying point while the machine of the Imperium ground into place at strategically vital planets. 

Now is the time for the Imperial forces remaining on Fratribusia to change tactics. The imperium has to decide what is worth saving and what can actually be saved.

Pushing The Advantage

   With the Battle of Arccaster breaking the biggest single swarm on the planet of Fratribusia, the Imperium was fast to try and capitalise on their victory, hunting down survivors and surgically hitting any other build ups of Xenos, but the Imperial forces were not blessed with the numbers they had at the start of the war and certain gambits had to be attempted.

   While in other areas the supposedly defeated swarm went on the attack leaving the Imperial defenders scrabbling to hold the line.

   This ended up being a real period of revival for the Tyranid cause, the Imperium had found itself over stretched and the Xenos fully capitalised on this dragging a strong Imperial victory much closer to a draw.

+++ Message to the Governor General +++

My Lord

Scans of the jungle show a build up of titan sized organisms.

I suggest an immediate strike.

 House Steinschild stands ready for deployment.

 Thought for the day: Life is the Emperor's currency, spend it well

 +++ Message Ends +++

   Using another White Dwarf 'Bunker' scenario, this time "Suffer No Rivals" which puts the victory point focus not on the objectives in the centre of the board but in individual models in the opposition's army, we decided to build a mission based around two super heavy (I miss that, that term has gone from 10th edition) models and use the warlord as the second objective.

   The game was played out between my brothers with me just controlling the Imperial Knight (which I lost turn 1!). I was mostly just enjoying watching my brothers playing a game, but I was determined to fight the Hierodule in combat, so saved my main gun for a different target - which was a mistake. 

  With another Imperial victory, we decided to pit my brothers back against each other again, this time in a combat patrol*. For reasons completely unknown, my Tyranid playing brother hid his Termagaunts behind his other beasties, which meant that by turn 2 he had a lot of termagaunts left and not much else, but once he realised what the list can do he managed to pull a win out for the aliens.

*while I tamed the toddler

   The last game was another combat patrol using my own sisters of battle, mostly just for a bit of variety in colour on the table.

Despite the Imperium killing the first titan sized organism spotted on Fratribusia in a well-planned strike, the loss of an irreplaceable Imperial Knight while doing so has severely weakened humanity’s cause. With this loss and multiple small victories across the breadth of the planet the Tyranids are once again in resurgence and control of the planet is slowly slipping away.

There are reports of massive spawning chambers breeding huge new broods of lesser Xenos, can the Imperium hold back this new threat?

Thanks for reading