“Woe unto us. We imagine ourselves the masters of the galaxy. Yet we control a minuscule 1 million worlds among 400 billion stars. We are beset by horrors we cannot imagine. I die happily. I will be free of the terrors that will feast upon humanity.”—Vardan Bruno, burned at the stake for apocalyptic prophecies that defied the Imperial Creed (745.M41)

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With the start of a new year, it is a tradition of the Corvus Cluster to review and summarize the events of the previous 12 months.—TheGM

Although the Corvus Cluster remained under threat by numerous invasions, ongoing wars, and shadowy insurrections, the year 745.M41 was a one of relative calm for our corner of the Ultima Segmentum.

Still, that calm hid the very real struggle of Imperial authorities to maintain the status quo with limited resources. —Military History of the Corvus Cluster, Third Edition, published 999.M41

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Success of Damocles Gulf Crusade

One of the few uplifting stories of the year—and a narrative that left Imperial citizens thrilled and optimistic about the future—was the progress of the Damocles Gulf Crusade in dealing with the threat of the perfidious Tau.

The previous year had seen the Crusade largely eliminate the xeno menace on our side of the Damocles Gulf. Worlds that had fallen under Tau influence were brought back into Imperial compliance by the Crusade, with the only disappointment being the world of Namatos, where the xenos somehow continued to defy Imperial efforts to eradicate them.

At the beginning of the year, word arrived that the Crusade Fleet had driven a Tau fleet from the Hydass System and, after a brief orbital bombardment, Space Marines and Imperial Guard had landed on a xeno-held agri-world in the Sy’l’kell System and wiped out its population. (Crusade fleet slaughters Tau on approach to Damocles Gulf)

Soon after, a small expeditionary force was sent to the nearby Viss’el System, where a few, small Tau fishery colonies scraped out an existence on the ice world of Viss’el VI.

Given the severe weather conditions of ice ice world, a quick orbital bombardment was deemed sufficient—any surviving xenos would soon succumb to the planet’s sub-zero temperatures. (Crusade fleet slaughters Tau on approach to Damocles Gulf)

When the Crusade crossed the Damocles Gulf, the Crusade Fleet wasted no time targeting the sept world of Dal’yth for a ground assault. Here, guardsmen of the 310th Cadian Regiment attack a position held by the Tau’s heretical AI-controlled gun drones.

The Crusade Fleet then launched itself across the vast Damocles Gulf and, after five months, successfully reached the core worlds of the Tau Empire sometime in mid-745.M41.

The fleet’s first target was the the sept world of Dal’yth, one of the most strategically important planets in the Tau Empire.

To reach Dal’yth, the Crusade Fleet first had to crack the defenses of the system’s outermost world, Pra’yen, where a large orbital defense station posed a formidable threat to the advancing Crusade Fleet.

What followed was a desperate naval battle, as a sizable Tau fleet contested the Crusade Fleet and targeted Imperial troop transports that were critical to any ground invasion.

Thankfully, the Imperial Navy proved up to the task. A sizable portion of the xeno fleet was destroyed, but Imperial losses were higher than anticipated and left naval officers nervous about the Crusade’s sustainability. (Crusade invades Tau Empire)

Such doubts did not slow the Crusade’s progress. Advancing into orbit above Dal’yth, the Crusade Fleet quickly overcame the planet’s orbital defenses and began its actual invasion of the planet. (Dead in the Void)

The landing zone of this invasion was on the eastern seaboard of the planet’s largest continent, a relatively flat region  protected from enemy attack to the north by mountains and to the east by the sea.

Using drop pods to give them the greatest chance of surviving anti-air fire, elements of the Iron Hands, Scythes of the Emperor, White Scars, and Ultramarines were the first to assault the planet’s arid surface, and the Astartes quickly suppressed all Tau resistance in the area. (Astartes lead assault on Tau world)

Once the area was secured, General Wendell Gauge, commander of all ground forces, ordered the perimeter of the landing zone expanded, and those Astartes chapters who took part in this stage of the fighting did well again—although it was noted that Imperial Guard troops struggled against the Tau’s powerful ranged weaponry.

It was during this phase of the campaign that the exploits of the 310th Cadian Regiment came to light. Under the command of Colonel Willem Vance, the 310th launched a major assault on the Tau to their front and, although they won the day, the troops suffered heavy losses crossing the open countryside. (Imperial Guard struggles on Dal’yth)

It was a victory, however, and it allowed Imperial forces to break out of their landing zone and advance south toward a large Tau city known as Gel’Bryn.

The last communication received by the Crusade Fleet told of another battle by the 310th Cadians sometime before 6 842 745.M41, when the regiment, along with the Omu-12 Macroclave and elements of Imperial Knight House Fenring, attempted to seize a xeno research facility. (Tau resistance remains strong on Dal’yth)

Stalemate on Dar Sai

Private Tyesha Levers

On several worlds, the guns of war fell silent as fighting degenerated into a stalemate, and large-scale battles became unfeasible. The long-standing war on Dar Sai was no exception.

On the agri-moon, the problem for both Imperial and xeno commanders was logistical: They were fighting on multiple fronts across the planet, but senior military leaders saw the moon’s troubles as relatively insignificant and one war too many for their overextended  resources.

As a result, , the supply of new soldiers, weapons, and ammo to Dar Sai was intermittent and inadequate, and neither ground force had what it required to support any offensive operations.

No wonder that both sides were content to “hold the line,” while testing the enemy’s resolve with the occasional skirmish action. For instance, after a squad of Cadians was ordered to scout Tau positions near the key town of Sandeep, it was ambushed by the xenos.

One was note notable about this small fight wasn’t the result of the battle, but that the Cadians reported the presence of an entirely new species working for the Tau as auxiliary troops.

These insectoid-looking troops, since identified as Vespids, signaled that the Tau were, at least, still able to supply themselves to some extent despite every effort by the Imperial Navy to blockade xeno supply ships. (New xenos seen on Dar Sai)

Any report on Dar Sai would be remiss if it didn’t mention the adventures of Cadian sniperTyesha Levers. On 3 781 745.M41, Levers clashed with cannibalistic Kroot warriors in a later skirmish and, a day later, found herself alone and confronting one of the Kroot savages  in a to-the-death fast draw. Her exploits become common knowledge years later when her wartime diary was published. (Faster on the draw—Journal of Private Levers)

Click here to read Part 2 of our annual update.

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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.