Scores of warships, troop transports, supply ships, and an Adeptus Mechanicus forge ship leave the orbit of Belliose III as they begin what is being called the Damocles Gulf Crusade.

“It was a sight to swell the heart of any true Imperial citizen. A massive naval fleet, centered around a dozen capital starships of the Imperial Navy, left the Nguyen Naval Base and took course to punish the xeno Tau for their very existence. I wept with joy.“—Milo Sylas, minor Administratum clerk stationed at the naval base

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IMPERIAL VOXCAST (3 020 742.M41)—After months of anticipation, Imperial military forces have launched what is being called the Damocles Gulf Crusade.

Designed to eradicate the perfidious xeno species known as the Tau, the crusade fleet left the Belliose System this morning with scores of Imperial Navy warships, contingents supplied by almost a dozen different Space Marine chapters, and 19 regiments of the Astra Militarum,

“We make no secret of our intentions,” announced Admiral Hausu Dinola, senior commander of naval operations in the Corvus Cluster. “The fleet is headed to the Timbra Sub-sector, where several Imperial worlds have defied the Imperial Creed and engaged in trade and diplomatic relations with the xenos.”

Two worlds reported are targeted by the vanguard of the crusade: the colonies of Garrus and Kleist. It is rumored that the Inquisition itself is participating in operations against these worlds, as it is alleged that Imperial government officials have allowed xeno influence to take root in the populace.

An artist’s depiction of the Crusade Fleet as it travels through the warp. It will be weeks—perhaps months—before the fleet reaches its first targets in the Timbra Sub-Sector.

“There shall be no mercy for traitors and heretics,” said Gideon Lock, an inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus.

In a rare interview, the inquisitor stated that true Imperial citizens must understand the importance of laws against interaction with xenos.

“The alien is a thing of lies and false promises,” he said. “They seek to spread discord within the Imperial, to taint the purity of the human mind and body, and to dominate and control humanity. The Ordo Hereticus will ensure that those who have been tainted by the Tau will prove no danger to decent, loyal citizens.”

To take on the Tau, military forces were gathered from dozens of sectors as far as 300 light years away. Among those are military forces very familiar to citizens of the Corvus Cluster, including several regiments from Brimlock and the 5th Company of the Knights of Altair.

After dealing with these rebellious worlds, Dinola said, the crusade fleet will attack the core worlds of the Tau Empire. That will require, however, Imperial forces to make the long crossing of the Damocles Gulf, a vast and empty stretch of the Void.

A military spokesman warned that the citizenry should not expect much news about the crusade’s activities for some weeks.

“The fleet will need time to cross the Void to its first targets of retribution,” he said. “So, be patient . . . and have confidence in the might of the Imperium.”

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The Corvus Cluster is a Warhammer 40K blog documenting our gaming adventures in the fantastical sci-fi universe of Games Workshop.