Editing Pacification of the Harakien Sector (section)

===Spearhead: The Gelden System battles===

While Lumey rallied the troops, two of his most aggressive commanders swept past the frontier and launched a bold attack deep into Harakien territory.  The Fifth's ''enfant terrible'', Augustin Carron, headed a force of thirty thousand Astartes and sly Kesh Kanak commanded the naval operation.  Evading contact with Eldar naval patrols, Winged Victory descended on the manufacturing world Gelden III.  In addition to Carron's landing forces, Kanak had been tasked to deliver the ''Oriflamme'', a "Ramillies"-class fortress to the Gelden system.  This mighty weapon was intended to anchor the Imperial supply lines into Harakien space.  If its presence could not be concealed, the sheer strength of its escort deterred any intervention by scratch forces.  With ''Oriflamme'' in position, the Fifth Legion began dropping troops onto Gelden III.  These Space Marines would be met head-on by the Harakien Empire.  The elite soldiers of the Sovereign Division had arrive to strengthen the 2nd and 6th Division, led by 2nd Captain Silys Vath.  A static defence against invasion was dismissed out of hand: Ku'Motsk planned a vigorous, three-pronged counter-offensive.  Vath and his Sky-Reapers were to strike at the center of the enemy army.  The Void King and Ur-Hierach split the remainder of the force between them and move into flaking positions.  Although the Harakiens were aware of their inferiority in material, Ku'Motsk and his advisors counted on the boldness of their plan and the superiority of their warriors to carry the day.

The initial Harakien engagement with Winged Victory was in space, where Sisyk Alovar sought to take advantage of the withdrawal of the main Imperial fleet with a swift attack on the space station ''Oriflamme''.  This assault was carried out so swiftly that Kesh Kanak, lurking outside the Gelden system in anticipation of such a manoeuvre, still could not intervene in time to prevent ''Oriflamme'' from being crippled.  As repair crews fought to save the giant station from complete destruction, the ships of Winged Victory appeared in the rear of the Eldar fleet, chasing after a deadly spread of torpedoes.  But Sisyk Alovar was old and cunning, and deftly stepped the main body of his squadrons out of Realspace.  Only a pair of unfortunate escorts were lost.  With the Harakiens seemingly vanished, those few aboard the Oriflamme with the luxury of observing the space battle were perplexed to see the Imperial warships begin to roll.  A few moments later, the purpose of this strange behaviour became clear.  Sisyk Alovar's squadron popped back into existence, the ''Talon'' itself having moved to rake the belly of the mighty ''Resolve''.  As he looked up to see the Imperial flagship's broadside trained against his position, Alovar reacted instantly to order his crew back to the Webway.  Only this split-second decision saved the ''Talon'', though the first salvoes from the ''Resolve'' still killed a quarter of the ship's company and many more perished in the desperate repair effort that followed the battle.  The rest of the Harakien fleet was far less fortunate.  Though their manoeuvre was swift and their weapons were deadly, like their landlubber brethren they faced a foe with seemingly limitless resources.  As an Eldar fleet painfully salvaged from the fall of their race was torn to pieces, Kazi Algaurizin of [[Al-Sherar]] idly calculated that the Fifth's battle losses would be replaced by 17044 minutes labour from all of the Imperium's Forge Worlds.

On the planet's surface, Ku'Motsk was grappling with the same problem.  The Harakiens were facing thousands of Space Marines, led by an aggressive and capable commander, and Vath's assault had ground to an abrupt halt as soon as it had started.  The Astartes they faced had not wavered, let alone split and routed under the pressure of the Sky-Reapers' assault as predicted.  Augustin Carron's men leapt into battle as though they knew no fear, and their crude weapons were frighteningly effective.  On hearing the reports of Vath's failure, the Void King was struck silent for a moment.   Nevertheless, he directed Asmodae to lead his assault as planned. The Ur-Hierach and his elite klaivexes marched through their portal to meet their foe as Ku'Motsk and his forces did the same.  The decisive moment had arrived.  Not even the combination of the Emperor's miraculous science, the advanced technology of [[Mars (Hektor Heresy)|Mars]], and Gaspard Lumey's own political-military preparation could create men able to hold off an envelopment by the elite forces of the Harakien Empire.  Asmodae carved his way through the ranks of the Fifth Legion, if less slowly then he might have liked.  Ku'Motsk's bodyguard took a no less bloody toll.  Their combined fury began to split the Space Marines into separate groups, creating the possibility of a defeat in detail.

In contrast, the Imperials were not overly surprised by their foes' abilities.  Antoine Antonelle's patient analysis had given the Fifth Legion an outstanding picture of the Harakien command and likely tactics.  The initial drop-pod landing had been intended to draw out the defenders while a supporting force hurtled towards the surface on gunships.  Although the Harakiens had attacked more successfully than anticipated and cut down the commander of the vanguard, [[Uli Dreier]], the Fifth's reinforcements stabilised the lines and Augustin Carron had the liberty to contemplate his counter.  He found it when reports came through that the Void King's own banner had been sighted.  Carron - ever impetuous - directed his ''Thunderhawk'' to bring him to Ku'Motsk.  The gunship raked the Eldar forces with its weapons, creating an opening for the Fifth Legion commander and his squad to disembark and engage.


'''A third choice'''

Honour dueling is not outside the traditions of the Harakien Empire.  When Ku'Motsk saw a Space Marine wearing superior armour and bearing rank insignia bearing down on him, he saluted his foe and paid tribute to the Astartes' prowess by introducing himself to their ruler as he would to a near-equal.  That the Mon-Keigh had the gall to laugh at this unparalleled honour was incendiary, but the flame of Ku'Motsk's anger was put out by Carron's chilling reply.

:''Foolish Xenos.  I am not the master of my people, nor their champion, nor even one of their greatest warriors.  While we cross blades here, my gene-father Gaspard Lumey - as superior to me as I am to the common human - travels across the void at the head of tens of thousands of my battle brothers.  And he is but one of eighteen Primarchs at the command of the great Emperor of Mankind.  Your petty empire is no more than a slight obstacle to humanity's ascendancy across the Galaxy.  Win or lose today: you will be destroyed and forgotten.''

These were prophetic words.  Ku'Motsk swiftly bloodied his foe, but Augustin Carron drew the Void King close by accepting a severe wound.  Once the Astartes got a firm grip, strength became more important than speed.  Carron bludgeoned Ku'Motsk with his strong right hand, ruining the Eldar monarch's good looks and fighting ability alike.  With victory all but ensured, the Space Marine took up his Power Sword for the ''coup de grace''.

[[Category:/tg/ Heresy Battles]]