Volemar Gamma Campaign

Volemar Gamma Campaign
Date	800.M30
Scale	whole planetoid
Theatre	Volemar Gamma Fortress-Asteroid
Status	Decisive Imperial Victory
Belligerents
Imperium of Mankind	Orks
Commanders and Leaders
Hektor Cincinnatus Gufarnus Altmakar Orend Ymoro	Warboss Uggut Shakgrod
Strength
elements of First Legion and Second Legion	thousands of boyz
Losses
First Legion suffered dozens of casualties, Second Legion somewhat less	Wiped out.
Outcome
Volemar Gamma secured by Imperial forces

This article is about a battle in the /tg/ Heresy project, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40k universe.

For years we had resented the First Legion, the Imperium's fortunate sons who gained while we suffered. Yet the moment that our brothers' blood began to stain that poor, barren rock, the quarrels of old Terra became as nothing.

- Orend Ymoro, Master of the Second Legion

The Volemar Gamma Campaign was a battle fought by the First Legion and Second Legion for control of a fortress-asteroid in the Sol System. Volemar Gamma was infested with foul Orks and the fight to eliminate them from the asteroid's many tunnels required the specialist skills of both Legions. Although the campaign took place close to Terra, it is still considered part of the Great Crusade.

Background

The presence of Orks in the Solar System was one of the most unsavoury relics of the Age of Strife. Although it is unclear exactly when Volemar Gamma became infested by greenskins, fragmentary records on Terra and the much more substantial archives of Mars indicate that Orkish incursions were an uncommon but hardly unheard-of addition to the misery of Old Night. Following the Unity, the Emperor of Mankind set his Space Marines to purging the foul Orks from humanity's birth system while Rogue Traders began scouting nearby stars. Due to the lack of information on Volemar Gamma, Hektor Cincinnatus was given overall command of the operation and granted considerable latitude in selecting his forces.

Unsurprisingly, this meant that the core of the Imperial force was drawn from the First Legion. Hektor had initially considered taking a contingent of the Third Legion, but due to the well-known problems with that gene-line he settled on the fresh Second Legion. Second was, at any rate, eager to prove themselves after their long hiatus from the battlefield after the Dalvan Atrocity. In addition, their heroic leader Orend Ymoro had a reputation as an expert at tunnel fighting thanks to his success in the Cleansing of Calverna. As the planned operation would require much of the nascent Imperium's voidships, Lord Commander Gufarnus Altmakar of the Imperial Army himself would command the naval squadron. While personality clashes between Hektor and Altmakar would later become legendary, at this early stage in the Great Crusade their relationship still resembled that of pupil and mentor. After discussion with Altmakar, Hektor settled on a simple but flexible plan. Leonidas Manisicus would lead an echelon of First Legion, supported by the army's voidships, to seize the redoubts and entrances to the interior of the asteroid. Ymoro's Second Legion would then scour the tunnels and push any greenskins lurking below to the surface. A second detachment of Hektor's gene-sons, under the command of Erasmos Sergius, would serve as the main reserve, though the Primarch's bodyguard would also be on hand to help turn the tide of battle. This straightforward approach was intended to allow for alterations depending on the deployment and tactics adopted by the enemy.

Volemar Gamma's ruler, Warboss Uggut Shakgrod, was not expecting an attack. His experience with the 'umies of the Solar System over the last fifty years was limited to raids on the Jovian satellites. Although the Jovians were hardly lacking for courage, their lack of sophisticated weaponry and discipline made them easy prey for the Orks. So easy, in fact, that Uggut's boyz treated such excursions as a matter of mild amusement rather than a really fun scrap. Complacent and, frankly, rather bored the Orks of Volemar Gamma had no idea of the fury that the Emperor's Angels of Death were about to unleash. If they'd known, they would have looked forward to it!

Invasion

Although this new enemy has the brutal nature of a beast, we cannot discount the possibility of them acting with a low cunning.

- Gufarnus Altmakar

The battleship Unity, Gufarnus Altmakar's flagship, opened the attack by laying down a heavy bombardment of Shakgrod's ramshackle fortress. The damage done hardly worsened the look of the place, but it certainly sent the greenskins running for cover while Leonidas Manisicus's men disembarked from their Stormbirds. The low gravity conditions on Volemar Gamma made maneuvering difficult, especially for troops still getting used to their sealed Mark II armour. However, the First Legion's reputation as the elite of the elite was neither lightly earned nor lightly taken. Manisicus was the first man to enter the Orkish fort, striking down the two boyz who stood in his way with one blow and striding imperiously over their twitching bodies. The coming of genuine, right 'ard violence to Volemar Gamma had a galvanising effect on the resident greenskins. Boyz from throughout Uggut's fortress came running to battle the ded killy 'umies pouring through the breach. After making their way into the outer chambers of the fotress, Manisicus's men found themselves locked in bitter hand to hand fighting with a seemingly endless supply of Orks.

Meanwhile, Orend Ymoro and the Marines of the Second Legion were leaping from Stormbird into the great maw of Volemar Gamma, quickly over-running the grots buffing up Uggut's rickety shuttlecraft and their startled orkish overseer. Ymoro wasted no time in dispatching kill-teams into the greenskin warrens. Although the majority of the boyz were swarming up to attack Manisicus's echelon on the surface, there were still plenty of Orks ready to oppose the Second. The ill-feelings from the aftermath of the Cleansing of Calverna were forgotten as Leonidas Manisicus's calm voice came over the vox to report the rapidly worsening situation above. Rather than issue complex orders, Ymoro simply commanded his men to forge a way to the aid of their battle brothers as quickly as they could. With chainswords roaring and flamers lighting their way, the Second surged forward.

In the operations room of the Unity, Hektor Cincinnatus and Gufarnus Altmakar were just as concerned with Manisicus's situation. Gufarnus recommended holding back Erasmos Sergius's division, lest the enemy spring a surprise. Hektor heeded this advice, but could not ignore the plight of his gene-sons. Leaving Gufarnus to oversee the operation, Hektor raced to the Unity's launch bays where the Chrysaspides awaited. Roaring orders to his faithful bodyguard, the Primarch boarded a Legion Stormbird and set forth to the battle on Volemar Gamma. Back in the operations room, Gufarnus Altmakar shook his head and muttered at the folly of trying to make a general and a hero of the same man.

Leonidas Manisicus had been forced to draw up his men into a defensive position. The Legion apothecaries tended to the wounded in the centre while squads of battle brothers held off the greenskin tide. Showing their brutal cunning, the Orks ceased their charge and fell back to spray the Space Marines with dakka, before a mob of Ork nobs led by Uggut Shakgrod himself came crashing into the First Legion's thin line. The marines were too well-drilled to break entirely, but several battle brothers were slain in the initial rush and Shakgrod began to cut a bloody path through those who rushed to stop up the gap. Even the personal intervention of Manisicus and his own hand-picked Agema could only slow the green tide.

But slowing was enough. The spearheads of the Second Legion were emerging from the depths of Volema Gamma, and at their head was fearless Orend Ymoro. The Master of the Second fought his way to Leonidas Manisicus's side and together the two heroes threw back Uggut and his nobs. Badly shaken by the defeat of their leader, the Orks fled the field and bolted back to the depths of their stronghold. As he lumbered away, Uggut tapped his lumpy head and triggered hidden bombs. The united warriors of the First and Second Legions were largely unharmed by the explosion, but they were knocked off their feet and tumbled through microgravity. By the time the Marines had drawn themselves up again, mighty Hektor had arrived to lead the final assault.

With the son of the Emperor at their head, the Marines were irresistible. Hektor's forces stormed to the heart of Uggut's fortress. The Orks who stood against them were slain, those who turned to flee only died with their backs to the enemy. The Warboss, struck by the twin shocks that his foes had survived a cunning trap and been joined by an even more awesome warrior, still roused himself to challenge Hektor. Uggut Shakgrod's head left his blocky shoulders before his feeble brain even registered the Primarch's attack. Though the Second Legion would spend another three days scouring Volemar Gamma for the remains of the Orkish menace, the campaign was over.

Aftermath

Fighting side by side in the Volemar Gamma Campaign healed the wounds of bitterness opened at the Cleansing of Calverna. Orend Ymoro's men willingly shed their blood to race to the aid of the imperilled First Legionnaires, but unlike on Terra they were greatly honoured for their sacrifice. Hektor praised the Second as the heroes of the day and ordered the skull of Uggut Shakgrod stripped of flesh and wrought with precious metals to serve as a gruesome trophy of the bond between the First and Second Legions. For decades, the skull would symbolise the unity of the Space Marines in the Emperor's Great Crusade - and Arelex Orannis would often gaze upon it after the horrors of the Hektor Heresy began.

There were also more lasting gains for the Imperium. The Space Marines' success on Volemar Gamma would secure Sol against Orkish incursions for centuries to come. Only the coming of the horrible warlord THE BEAST would once more bring the greenskin menace within reach of Terra.