There are increasing reports of ork in-fighting across the agri-moon of Hegira. Some of these battles involve tens of thousands of orks, possibly indicating a breakdown in the authority of the ork warlord, Rumlar.

(IMPERIAL VOXCAST ( 3 977 743.M41)—More than 100,000 orks are battling among themselves in the ruins of the ork-held Tarak Mines, military authorities report.

The fighting has been under way for nearly six days, and authorities are saying that this ork-on-ork battle likely indicates a serious challenge to the authority of the ork warlord overseeing the greenskin invasion.

“Our strategists have noted that, if the dominant ork warlord loses the confidence of his subordinates, or other powerful orks sense weakness, there will be a violent challenge to the warlord,” General Tiberius Vectrix, supreme commander of all Imperial forces on Hegira, announced at a news briefing today.

Orks control 75% of Hegira, but numerous battles amongst the xeno invaders give hope to Imperial strategists that the greenskins are divided and unable to maintain their offensive operations.

There have been signs of discontent for some time within the greenskin armies, notes scholar Galene Lydos, Hegira’s most esteemed expert in xeno behavior.

“The orks took horrific losses as they advanced toward Susa City,” he said. “Then, after a series of massive assaults on the city, greenskin activity dropped precipitously. I mean, there’s been fighting, but these are the attacks of minor warlords. You might think an attack of 50,000 orks is large but, in the grand scheme of things, such attacks have no serious chance of taking the city.”

Other scholars note that the impetus of the ork invasion began to wane a few years after a strange warp phenomenon was reported near the Barad Mine in mid-738.M41.

At that time, flickering lights, columns of flame, and violent lightning storms were observed to the southeast of the mines, and psykers across the moon reported nose bleeds, headaches, bad dreams, and  “psychic screaming” emanating from the area.

Although the interrogation of orks is seldom successful, military intelligence officials say that some prisoners, heard arguing in prison cells when not fighting amongst themselves, complained that the ork overlord, a self-styled Kaptin Rumlar GrimRekkah, visited the site of the warp phenomenon and “ain’t been rite in the ‘ead since.”

In recent months, more ork casualties have been caused in  battles between rival greenskin warlords than with Imperial forces.

Infighting among the orks is a common phenomenon, Lydos said, but the xenos usually coalesce behind a powerful warlord when faced within an outside enemy. 

But the scope of infighting that has been observed by surveillance satellites has been unprecedented in the decade-long war with the greenskins, he said.

“Just this week, we’ve identified at least a dozen large battles—involving anywhere from 20,000 to 100,000 combatants—across ork-held territory,” Lydos said. “This indicates the longstanding leader of the orks, Rumlar, has lost his authority. Although his supporters are still holding back challengers, what matters is that there are challengers—and these challengers have significant numbers supporting them.”

General Vectrix suggested that military strategists also suspect the emergence of the Warp phenomenon may be playing a role in the xenos’ divisions.

“The biggest concentration of ork-on-ork fighting is around the Barad Mines,” he said. “That suggests control of this phenomenon may be a factor in the orks’ in-fighting.”

The divisions among the orks certainly have allowed Imperial forces to solidify their defenses, Vectrix said.

“Although we do not have the forces for a major offensive, it is possible that we can use the ork infighting to strengthen our strategic position with limited offensive operations in the months ahead.”

Some scholars worry of unknown threats created by the Warp phenomenon.

“It is possible that exposure to the Warp has undermined the WAAAGH! mind of the orks,” Lydos said. “But the idea of a powerful ork warlord—one who has conquered most of Hegira—has been exposed to the Warp terrifies me.”

“What if, he added, “the ork “gods” decide to use augment the warlord’s power? What if he succumbs to the Ruinous Powers? What if this phenomenon at the Barad Mine is a warp portal to the Immaterium? Do greenskin daemons exist? Will we see them walk upon our home world?”

For now, both military experts and xeno scholars can agree on one thing: The orks are fighting amongst themselves and, for now, it’s earned Hegira an invaluable respite from the horror of constant assaults on the moon’s capital city.

“Let’s home the orks keep bickering, ” said Vectrix in concluding his briefing. “Every ork killed by its own kind is a blessing to the Imperium.”

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