The Imperial fleet at the Melinoe Naval Base race to establish a coherent battle line before the Necrons maneuver into firing range.

“All ships to battle stations. Shields on full. Power to all weapons. And men, steel your hearts to the battle to come. The Emperor is looking down on you. Do not disappoint him.”—Rear Admiral Augustus Zyphros, fleet commander at Melinoe Naval Base

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I originally was going to write this up as a news article or top-secret naval report, as a short, narrative description usually is sufficient to carry forward the story of the Corvus Cluster.

But I had so much fun with this Battlefleet Gothic battle that I want to remember each move—and what my impressions were at the time. So that’s what I’m going to do.—TheGM

Background

It is impossible to comprehend the xeno mind, so the strategic reasoning behind the Necron attack of the Melinoe Naval Base on 6 061 745.M41 will never be known.

But, by human standards, the attack makes sense. Although outside the Dryillian Quarantine Zone, the naval base is a formidable military presence in the region—and a direct threat to the Necrons. It is a powerful defensive position, and it is the obvious launch point for any offensive action against the xenos’ home territory.

Whatever their reasoning, the perfidious xenos attacked as they always do—with no warning. Their warships simply “phased” into the system using their mysterious technology and advanced toward the naval base.

Fortunately, a significant collection of Imperial ships were gathered in the system, and the Necrons were not as successful  in comparison with an earlier attack in 741.M41.—Khrysdam Alrod, military scholar, Nguyen Naval Base 

Deployment

As the commander of the Imperial fleet, Rear Admiral Augustus Zyphros was uncertain of the Necrons’ intentions, and he deployed his fleet around the naval base with frigate and destroyer squadrons on each flank.

The Necron overlord, later determined to be “Tohan the Moon Liege,” chose to deploy his fleet in a tight formation on one edge of the battlefield.

His plan: Use his superior speed to race down the edge of the tabletop and use an asteroid field to screen his forces as they swung around behind the Imperial fleet—or, if possible, rush past the fleet and destroy the naval base defended by only a handful of civilian freighters with minimal armament.

Turn One

Zyphros ordered “All Ahead Full” with the intent of intercepting the xenos before they reached the asteroid field. He ordered two squadrons of escort ships (a mix of Firestorm-class frigates and Cobra-class destroyers) to break from the fleet and swing around a second asteroid field.

His thinking on the latter order: These two squadrons would be in position to (1) hit the xeno fleet in the flank if it turned to fight the Imperials in a frontal assault, or (2) race behind the fleet and provide support to the naval base if it came under assault.

All combatants were too distant to open fire. Overlord Tohan ordered all ships “All Ahead Full.” Every ship in the fleet obeyed, and Tohan watched with satisfaction as his escort ships (a mix of Dirge- and Jackal-class Raiders) surged forward 63 and 72 centimeters, while the slower cruiser-class ships also outraced the Imperials.

The Necrons attempt to flank the Imperial fleet, but when the Tombship inexplicably falls behind, its isolation offers the Imperials a golden opportunity to bring all its firepower against the xenos’ flagship.

Turn Two

The main Imperial force continued its advance, but it appeared it would fail to intercept the xenos before they were safely screened by the asteroid field.

Still, it was clear the Necrons were winning their race to outmaneuver the Imperials—every xeno ship was maintaining its “All Ahead Full” orders. That is, until Tohan’s own vessel, the most powerful ship in his fleet, failed its roll to receive orders.

The mighty ship slowed to a mere 20 centimeters.

As the rest of the fleet, including his two Scythe-class HarvestShips and Shroud-class Light Harvest Ship advanced speedily, Tohan, to his horror and fury, watched as his flagship fall behind.

It appeared that, having spent 60 million years in stasis, a key reactor aboard his Tomb Ship was malfunctioning, causing the huge vessel—the core of his fleet’s power—to fall dangerously behind.

In hindsight, the overlord realized, he should have rolled his ship’s “All Ahead Full!” order before the rest of his fleet left him behind.

Click here to read Part 2 of this battle report

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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.