“Entropy is all-consuming, fed by all struggles against it. Even to hope is to despair. So despair, and in your desperation, find purpose.“—Nurgle, the Lord of Decay

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Lord Admiral Hausu Dinola,

I regret to inform you that a sizable traitor fleet, spearheaded by the dreaded Terminus Est, entered the Dozaria System on 6 382 745.M41.

Battlegroup Dozaria, stationed in orbit over Dozaria, engaged the enemy fleet on 6 397.M41. Casualties were heavy for both fleets, but the traitors enjoyed a slight advantage in numbers—and also employed powerful heretical magicks that eventually turned the battle against our forces.

Ultimately, Battlegroup Dozaria was forced to withdraw from the system to avoid destruction.

Traitors Arrive

The first indication of the enemy’s arrival came from sensor stations deployed along the Dozarian System’s Mandeville Point. On 6 382 745.M41, a large rift opened in Material space, its power readings indicating a sizable number of ships had arrived in-system.

Before the closest sensor station was destroyed by a missile strike two hours later, sensors indicated that at least 16 ships had entered the system, although further spikes in energy manifestations raised the possibility that additional Warp jumps had occurred.

These then-unidentified ships remained near the Mandevill Point for 29 hours before accelerating toward Dozaria. As there were no transponders broadcasting Imperial identity codes, it was assumed the fleet was hostile—and almost certainly associated with the Death Guard forces currently plaguing Dozaria.

All Imperial ships in the system—both of patrolling elements of Battlegroup Dozaria and surviving elements of the Dozarian Defense Fleet—were ordered to make haste and join with the main fleet orbiting above Dozaria.

Scouting the Enemy

Although all 17 Imperial warships in the system had gathered by 6 389 745.M41, a specially equipped reconnaissance gunboat was launched directly at the mysterious fleet to provide Imperial commanders with information that might allow them to improve their defensive strategy.

It was taken as fact that the gunboat’s mission was suicidal, so the crew consisted of an ailing Enginseer who volunteered on behalf of the Omnissiah and 12 servitors.

The gunship’s approach was ignored until it came within 30 million kilometers of the enemy fleet, when it was destroyed by torpedoes fired from a squadron of escort ships that moved to intercept.

The enemy’s lackadaisical response to the threat posed by the gunship was fortuitous, as it allowed the ship’s scanners to provide Imperial officers a valuable understanding of what they were facing.

A series of recon drones fired from the gunship took picts indicating heretical markings. as well as blasphemous and clearly Warp-tainted organic growths, on the ships’ hulls.

The most valuable discovery was the identity of the lead ship, which began to broadcast its identity with dangerous scrap code. It was the Terminal Est, flagship of the traitor champion Typhus and one of the most dangerous and Warp-tainted warships belonging to the Death Guard.

The gunship also provided an accurate order of battle for the enemy: In addition to the Terminal Est, the enemy fleet consisted of five cruiser-class warships and a mix of 22 frigate- and destroyer-class vessels.

Imperial Battle Plans

Given the enemy fleet outnumbered our battlegroup by 50 percent, and was supported by the the battleship-class Terminal Est, the battlegroup’s commander, Admiral Van Strafe, chose to keep his fleet near Dozaria to benefit from the planet’s three defensive orbital batteries.

This extra firepower was deemed essential if the battlegroup was to have any chance of repelling the approaching enemy.

Van Strafe deployed his warships between orbital stations Alpha and Beta, with his cruiser-class vessels in the center of his line, and his destroyers and frigate squadrons supporting each flank.

As the enemy approached, the disorganized deployment of the traitor fleet was noted. There was no tactical rationale to the haphazard positioning of the fleet. Some warships were rushing forward, without support at our center, while other ships were “hanging back” and relying on long-rage fire. It was as if each ship was acting on its own.

Long-Range Fire

On 6 397.M41, the fist shots of the battle were fired by the Imperial cruiser Righteous Path, a Lunar-class cruiser, that targeted one of the advancing and isolated destroyer squadrons with its prow lance.

Alas, the powerful energy shot missed, and the enemy answered with a volley of torpedoes that targeted a frigate-based squadron identified as the Torchbearers.

Thee enemy torpedoes were fired at extreme range, allowing the Torchbearers to easily evade the threat. A second volley of torpedoes followed at closer range, and an Imperial frigate, The Absolution, suffered severe damage to its reactor core and was forced to withdraw..

The rest of the Torchbearers responded in kind, with a mix of torpedoes, two prow lances, and weapons batteries—a concentration of fire that wiped out all three traitor ship of the enemy squadron.

The Fleets Close

As the traitor fleet closed to within effective fire range of Battlegroup Dozaria, the enemy warships began to close ranks with the intent of approaching in-mass. Vessels on both sides opened up with prow-based weapons and occasional torpedo volleys,.

Two Imperial cruisers reported minor damage from this 20-minute exchange, and a traitor cruiser was struck by a glancing shot amidships that resulted in a sizable explosion. The craft was not, alas, knocked out of action.

At this point, van Strafe maintained his order to remain stationary, as his warships’ head-one-profile left the traitors with little option but to strike at the relatively small and heavily armored prow of the Imperial ships. This stationary positioning also ensured that nearby orbital defense stations could bring their powerful weapons to bear with clean lines of fire.

Although tempted to direct al fire at the Terminus Est, believed to be the greatest threat, van Strafe strictly prohibited any fire on the vessel. As he explained in a pre-battle briefing, previous Imperial battles against the Chaos flagship had strongly emphasized the warship’s near-indestructible durability.

“I do not believe any ship is indestructible,” he told his subordinate officers, “but if the Terminus Est is that hard to kill, I think it better to take out the rest of the fleet. Let’s diminish these other warships’ ability to fire and maneuver on us, and then we can bring to bear every gun on their flagship.”

“I don’t care what fell Warp-taint rests within the Terminus Est, it will not survive if we can bring the entire battlegroup’s firepower upon it.”

Click here to read the conclusion of this battle.

Click here to see more of the wonderful artwork by Vukasin Ivkovic (Vookasheen).

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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.