For years, the Necrons appeared content to remain within the Dryilian Quarantine Zone. More recently, however, the xenos have attacked two planets outside the zone, and xeno warships have been making their presence known even farther afield.

+ + Inquisitorial Order, X-006-3802 + +

TO: Admiral Hausu Dinola, commander, Battlefleet Bellious
Nguyen Naval Base. Belliose System
SUBJECT: Necron Threat Level
ORDER BY: Inquisitor Georgene Serililan
AUTHORITY: Imperial Inquisition, Ordo Xenos
INPUT DATE: 3 521 740.M41
ACCESS CLEARANCE: Senior Command Only

Thought for the Day: An alien mind cannot accept the Emperor’s blessing.

 + File AV/JP 3 874 +

+ + Report Begins + +

It is the opinion of the Xeno-Conclave of Vigilia, Ordo Xenos of the Inquisition, that the threat level assigned to the Necrons be raised from Xenos Moderari to Xenos Gravis.

An accumulation of events justify the raised threat level:

* The Planetary Defense Forces of Tophet recently suffered a defeat in its war against its Necron invaders. At this time, Tophet authorities claim control of only 65 percent of the planet’s surface, and they report that more xeno forces are joining the fight each week.

* Although the Adeptus Mechanicus reports that they are holding the line against the Necron threat on Myopolis, the Necrons also are reinforcing their military forces on this strategically important mining world.

* Before its destruction, a stealth reconnaissance craft reported that hundreds of xeno structures have appeared on the surface of Stigmata, confirming that the once-dormant Necron world has fully awoken and committed to a long-term period of activity.

* As your headquarters has shared, Imperial warships patrolling the borders of the Dryilian Quarantine Zone have reported increased sightings of Necron ships.

Two recent incidents, of which you may not be aware, are particularly alarming:

Necron vessels make an appearance in the uninhabited Hawkins System.

Raid on NuDawn

On 6 507 740.M41, five Necron war vessels (Classification: Scythe Harvesters) entered the Vorta System, located 10 light years outside the quarantine zone. Xeno forces brushed aside the small orbital defense stations above NuDawn, and landed troops on the surface of the lightly populated colony world.

With only an Adeptus Arbites contingent to provide planetary security, the planet was unable to offer any serious opposition to the Necron attack.

Alerted by an astropathic distress signal that cut off prematurely, an Imperial Navy patrol raced to the planet, only to discover that the entire population of 22,000 colonists had disappeared.

Approximately 2,200 partial remains were found, with cellular damage indicating the use of energy weapons of unidentified technology. The precinct-fortress in the capital city of Icofast also was found to have been burned to the ground.

Clash with Flotilla Adriana

Imperial Navy Flotilla 74-A8, known as Flotilla Adriana (after its commander, Commodore Cassia Adriana), was destroyed by a Necron naval force on 6 489 740.M41.

The Xeno Ordos is aware that Nguyen Naval Base lost communications with the flotilla lost several weeks ago, but it is confirmed that the flotilla, consisting of a light cruiser and six escort ships, was attacked by the Necrons and destroyed with no survivors.

Limited information was communicated by an astropathic message sent during the battle. It appears that Commodore Adriana made contact with the Necron force, consisting of eight vessels of unknown classification, in the unpopulated Hawkins System.

Despite instructions to avoid conflict with the Necrons, the commodor3  challenged the xeno presence in an Imperial-controlled system. All contact was subsequently lost, although an Inquisition stealth ship sent to uncover the flotilla’s fate found the wreckage of all seven Imperial vessels.

Strategic Analysis

The cybernetic bodies of Necrons are grim in appearance and robust in their defensive capabilities.

For several years years, it appeared that Necron activity was confined to the quarantine zone—a fact the Inquisition attributed to the xenos’ need to reactivate their dormant population.

It now appears likely that the Necrons have activated sufficient resources  that they no longer feel constrained to avoid conflict with the Imperial—and they are probing surrounding space to gather military  intelligence and, perhaps, to test our response to their more aggressive forays into Imperial-controlled space.

It may be time to reconsider the Imperium’s existing policy of conflict avoidance. Although Imperial military  forces are stretched thin across the Corvus Cluster, and our top priorities must be to protect more strategically important planets from xeno threats, we must realize that waiting until the Necrons are strong enough to take the initiative may not be in our best interest.

For this reason, I suggest the Logis Strategos reassess the value of sending Imperial Guard regiments to the assistance  of Tophet and Metropolis and consider a more aggressive response to Necron war vessels outside the quarantine zone.

At the same time, my agents are reviewing Administratum records to identify other inhabited Imperial worlds that have reported ancient ruins that may indicate a previous Necron presence. It is known, for example, that both Stigmata and Dryilian have such ruins, as well as Tophet, and we need to undercover all available information to assess whether other Imperial worlds may soon be targeted for attack.

+ + End Report + +

Click here to see more of the fantastic artwork of Art of Russell.

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TheGM: With a 2,000-point Necron army now on my hobby shelf, and a few Necron warships awaiting painting for Battlefleet Gothic battles, I see the time coming where the Necrons will become as active in the Corvus Cluster as the orks and Tau.

This background simply fleshes out the strategic situation as it now stands, and hints at what is to come.

As always, a narrative campaign is great because it develops a life of its own. I have no idea what’s coming next. The next battle may be decided by what Necron unit I paint next . . . or by an idea for a scenario that seems suitable to the Necrons. (Xenos are always unpredictable.)