An aerial shot of the bombing of ork scrap towns near the Barad Mine, taken from a pict-recorder aboard an Imperial Maurader bomber as it passed over the bomb site.

“In breaking news, hundreds of Imperial aircraft have launched from Susa City airfields and are heading northwest into ork-held territory. Imperial authorities are refusing comment, but such a large military deployment can only mean a major attack has been undertaken . . . . ” — Imperial Voxcast

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Imperial Voxcast (3 145 744.M41))

The Barad Mine was targeted because an ork warlord was amassing a sizable army to storm Susa City. The mine had been destroyed by lance strikes and nuclear weapons during the massive orbital bombardment of ork-held territory four years ago. Since then, the orks had rebuilt the area into a large “scrap town” devoted to the manufacture of xeno weapons.

SUSA CITY, HEGIRA: A thousand Imperial aircraft attacked the ork-held Barad Mine this morning in an operation that Imperial authorities describe as a “preemptive strike” designed to thwart a major attack on Susa City in the months ahead.

“Despite infighting among the ork hordes to the south, one greenskin warlord has been gathering a sizable military force—perhaps a half million orks strong—with the intent of advancing on Susa City and claiming the prize for himself,” General Tiberius Vectrix, supreme commander of all Imperial forces on Hegira, announced at a news briefing today.

Six hundred and 20 bombers, 280 fighters, and 100 gunships left Susa City  for a long-range assault on gathering ork forces in the gigantic mine complex, once a key industrial center of Hegira but now a greenskin scrap town.

Thousands of tons of high-explosives were dropped on the ork camps clustered on the eastern edge of the mine complex, whose tortured ruins had been used to create the greenskin settlements, Vectrix said.

The Marauder Bomber, the primary atmospheric bomber of the Imperial Navy, composed the majority of the bomber force that attacked the Barad Mine.

“The orks were tightly concentrated—no doubt to keep them from wandering off—and the opportunity to strike a heavy blow against the greenskin invaders could not be ignored,” he added.

Analysis of aerial picts taken after the final bombing revealed devastating damage was done to the orks. “Estimates range from 50,000 to 100,000 xeno casualties,” Vectrix said.

Despite assurances from military officials that the ork threat has been nullified, others are not so certain.

“After years of research, I am confident that casualty estimates regarding aerial attacks are commonly overly optimistic,” argues Sullus Crispus, a military historiographer who has been sanctioned several times in recent years for suspected activities to undermine public confidence.

“High-explosives are not as effective as imagined, as the ork physiology is more robust than humans,” he said. “What’s more, ork shanty towns have limited flammable construction material, so the use of incendiary bombs also are of little value. I would say that casualties of 25,000 would be a tremendous success.”

What is not in doubt is the ferocity of the aerial battle, military authorities state. The xeno response to the Imperial attack was aggressive, with an estimated 300 aircraft intercepting the Imperial’s mix of Marauder bombers, Avenger and Lightning fighters, and Valkyrie and Vendetta gunships.

The Imperial attack approached the Barad Mine from the north, as Imperial strategies assumed the orks’ stupidity would have them assume any attack would come from the east. Whether the strategists were correct, or the orks simply lack forward observers, the Imperial attack wasn’t challenged until150 kilometers from its target.

“Ork fighters began harassing our bombing formations about 150 kilometers east of the Barad Mines, but initial xeno attacks were uncoordinated and easily intercepted by our fighter escort,” said Wing Commander Sturnn Volker, who oversaw the aerial attack.

“Resistance soon stiffened, and a fierce dogfight erupted over the Barad Mine as ork fighters and bombers attempted to shoot down—and, in some instances, ram—Imperial aircraft, and as Imperial fighters attempted to defend our bombers.”

Ace fighter pilot Emil Thur.

One fighter pilot, the renown  flying ace Emil Thuy reportedly shot down 13 ork aircraft, the highest victory count yet reported on Hegira for a single mission. Many citizens happily recall Thuy’s ongoing feud with an ork pilot known as Fast Eddy Rikken Orker.

Alas, there is no indication that the two rivals clashed today.

The bombing raid itself was a major success, Volker said. Nearly 3,000 metric tons of ordinance was dropped on the ork positions. Approximately 30 percent of that total was incendiary explosives.

At least 87 Imperial bombers, 112 fighters, and 30 gunships are reported missing, he added. Squadron commanders are still debriefing returning aircrews, and estimates of enemy losses have yet to be determined.

General Vectrix assured citizens that the aerial assault has nullified any threat of a major attack on Susa City for the foreseeable future.

“Although the greenskins are fierce fighters, their organizational skills are primitive at best, and their casualties, loss of vehicles, and logistical support should make it impossible for the enemy to cross the hundreds of kilometers of barren desert with any coherent, sizable force,” he stated.

“That does not mean we are easing our vigilance or underestimating the xeno threat,” he added. “We will be watching the movements of the greenskins, and we will not hesitate to launch additional preemptive strikes as necessary as we build up our forces in preparation for a future campaign to retake our beloved moon.”

* * END TRANSMISSION * *

TheGM: For a variety of reasons, our once-weekly battles on Hegira came to an end, and it’s long past time to determine if Hegira will stand or fall in the coming year.

But, as always in our narrative campaign, lots of factors influence our story-telling. For example, when I invented a story about a Warp phenomenon on Hegira, it was simply because I was playing with Photoshop and created a a cool composite photo of said phenomenon.

That led to an article by The Gaffer about the ork overlord, Rumlar, becoming fascinated with the “pretty lights.”

Adding non-important distractions like jobs, COVID, and wives wanting some of our time, it all blended into a loss of momentum among the ork invaders of Hegira, infighting and growing dissatisfaction with Rumlar’s leadership, and this article’s bombing attack on the Barad Mine.

I just love how this campaign isn’t entirely under our control.

To see more of Crowsrock’s wonderful artwork, click here.

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