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{{Infobox 40k Campaign
|title=The Cleansing of Calverna
|image=[[File:Science fiction wallpaper by barfly1976.jpg|275px]]
|attacker=Imperium of Mankind
|defender=Defence System Sigma-8
|commander1=[[Orend Ymoro]]
|commander2=The Arch-maniac of Calverna
|date=c. 780.M30
|scale=regional
|theatre=Calverna Techropolis
|strength1= [[War Scribes|Second Legion]] (approximately 1500 Space Marines) supported by elements of the [[Imperial Army (Hektor Heresy)|Imperial Army]]
|strength2=Mechanical drones, directed killer machines, automated turrets in unknown quantities
|casualties1=Second Legion suffered minor losses.<br>Beta-Helix Gerstok took 16% casualties
|casualties2=All forces destroyed or disabled
|status=Decisive Imperial Victory
|outcome=Calvera's archives and significant archeotechnology recovered
}}
{{/tg/-Heresy-Battle}}


'''The Arch-Maniac of Calverna'''
'''The Cleansing of Calverna''' was a battle of the [[Unification Wars (Hektor Heresy)|Unification Wars]] fought by the [[War Scribes|Second Legion]] against the automated defences of the Calverna Techropolis.  This engagement showed the Second's skills in tunnel-fighting, but it was also the first in a long line of battles fought by the Legion to recover the tools of ancient man.


The border of Segmentum Solar lay a minute sliver ahead on the Galactic scale, and for the first time the [[War Scribes|Second Legion]] was about to push beyond humanity's relatively well-mapped "heartland" into the vast unknown. Near the border zone, auspexes detected the former Forge World of Calverna, long lost to humanity. Because the Second Legion was closest to that planet, emissaries from Mars sent a personal envoy to request that the Marines take part in its reconquest. Fighting alongside them would be a moderate detachment of forces from the Red Planet and  pre-battle cogitation indicated that a numerical superiority was likely.
==Background==
{{See also|Unification Wars (Hektor Heresy)}}


Breaking from the main thrust of the Crusade, the Second Legion took a more southerly course. Within a few weeks, their advanced scouts entered visual range of the ancient Forge World. To the horror of the Magi it was visibly ruined even from orbit, with great gouges torn into the crust. The mighty spires and forges had been toppled long ago, reconstructed crudely by Orks for their endless wars. The central citadel yet remained strong, and it was from this fortress that the Warlord no doubt brooded over his vast realm. Mars' fury was apocalyptic, and the Red Planet's iron hordes descended in wrath upon the planet below.  
The origins of the Calverna Techropolis are wrapped in mystery.  Fragmentary references to the complex can be found in surviving documents from the Age of Strife, but the usual problems with this source persist. Even the Imperial situation report, preserved in the archives of the War Scribes with their customary fastidiousness, is lacking in significant historical perspective. What is known is that Calverna had become a heavily fortified outpost, held by but a single man. If it seems surprising that the Emperor would commit his Adeptus Astartes to fight a lone recluse, it must be mentioned that the Arch-Maniac of Calverna was far from an ordinary man.  Whether by accident or design, the Arch-Maniac had been transformed into the central intelligence of the Techropolis.  His brain and nervous system no longer addressed the needs of his body, but instead controlled a small army of mechanical soldiers backed up by automated turrets and other defences. For centuries, Calverna had claimed victim after victim as unwary men entered its nightmarish halls in pursuit of ancient technology.


The Second Legion dropped directly into the citadel whilst the Martians cleared away the outer walls of Orkish filth. If a decisive blow could be struck at the cancer's heart, the Orks within the main Forge could be pinned between the walls and cut down en masse. Resistance was intense, but sporadic. One minute the Orks would be striking randomly, even shooting their own allies, and the next they would form into an iron wall of cannons and lay waste to all before them. The battle lines shifted a dozen times over the course of two days as more and more Orks came boiling out of secret passages invisible to auspexes. A thousand Marines lay dead, cut off and isolated from their brethren, yet thousands more fought on.  
But now, Calverna's secrets would be sought by warriors who were far more than men.  The Emperor was determined to gain access to the Techropolis's secrets - indeed, he had initially slated [[Hektor Cincinnatus]]'s [[Heralds of Hektor|First Legion]] for the action.  However, the Primarch's exemplary campaigns in Hy Brasil suggested that a change of plans might be in order. Orend Ymoro's men of the recently-activated Second Legion had displayed a considerable knack for fighting in the mayhem of hive and tunnel actions during the Merican campaign. In His wisdom the Emperor decided that this achievement qualified the Second Legion for the honour of spearheading the invasion of the Calverna Techropolis.


The Magi authorized orbital fire on the third day, no longer caring much about damaging the already ruined manufactoria of Calverna further. It was horrifyingly obvious that virtually everything had been corrupted or destroyed by the savage xenos. If any machine spirits yet lived, better to put them out of their misery with a clean deathblow than to let them endure in agony. Brilliant lances from space boiled away Ork and metal alike, with only the central citadel remaining untouched. As uncountable Orks vanished into dust, what little coordination they had vanished. Taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, the Marines pressed forward with lightning speed, just as they had learned from mighty Hektor, and the enemy's sanctum lay bare before them.
==Probing actions==


At last the monster whose mind guided the horde was visible, wired into the endless rows of cogitators left from long-dead Martian technology. The Ork was a colossal, tortured wretch, his brain long since overwhelmed from the torrent of data pouring into his half-mechanical brain. Control over the Forge he had, and all its mighty guns, but no one mind could effectively direct the power. The devastation wreaked outside had shattered what little intelligence the Ork had left, as the surging damage reports cooked his brain from inside out. For all his might, for all his armies, a wounded beast chained to a throne was easily killed. A lone Sergeant rushed to the throne, dodging electrical arcs and insane Grots to end the green demon with a single Krak missile round. Though hundreds had fallen around him, the Sergeant endured where no others could, clawing his way over the bodies of the slain to reach the target. For his heroism in the final action, Second Company Sergeant Tel Bernos became Commander Tel Bernos, riding the Fellblade ''Fungicidal''.
The officers of the Second were not intimidated by Calverna's reputation, but their first approach was cautious.  Strikes by Imperial aircraft disabled the most obvious turrets, then elements of the famous "Old Hundred" [[Imperial Army (Hektor Heresy)|Imperial Army]] regiment Beta-Helix Gerstok infiltrated the outer reaches of the Techropolis.  Despite their gene-hanced stealth and the powerful air support available to them, the Gerstok took significant casualties securing their positions.  However, their purpose was not merely to take ground. The most important acquisition of the Gestok were the vid-captures they dispatched to Orend Ymoro's command post. Data profiles on the mechanical killers of Calverna was swiftly streamed to the warriors of Second Legion.  Ymoro was somewhat overly disturbed by the casualties to the Imperial Armymen under his command, but he knew that their sacrifice was essential to the mission.   As the Gerstok continued to fall the Master of Second Legion moved his command post into the Techropolis and dispatched squads of his Space Marines to stiffen resistance at key locations.  The small hunter-killer machines that had taken a toll on the Imperial Army were little threat to the Legionnaires and the situation soon stabilised.


Though devastated and battered by Ork and Imperium alike, it was a joyous day when the Forge World of Magnos Majoris finally shed its Orkish burden and stood alongside humanity again. An enormous task of purging the remaining Orks and rebuilding the ancient forges lay ahead, but the task was gratefully accepted by the Mechanicus, and the Second Legion earned much gratitude for their assistance in the planet's recovery. Within five years, Magnos Majoris would begin tithing its production to the Second Legion. Within a decade, it became a primary Imperial Forge World fueling multiple assaults into Segmentum Tempestus and Pacificus.  
With the outer reaches secure, Sergeant Tel Bernos was selected to head the first Legion patrol into the depths of Calverna.  As with the advance of the Imperial Army, the patrol squad's primary mission was to identify the threats within the Techropolis so that the main body of the Second Legion could advance fore-warned and fore-armed. Squad Bernos soon encountered more significant killers than the drones of the periphery.  Not only were the machines in the interior larger and more powerful, they moved as a coordinated force.  Tel Bernos lost two battle brothers and his left hand making it back to the Second Legion lines, but the information he won was of far greater value.  Besides data on the protectors of the Techropolis and it labyrinth-like interior, the patrol's auspexes had picked up faint life signs deep within the complex. Such was the stock that the Legion put in this intelligence that, even as the Sergeant was being fitted for bionic replacement, Orend Ymoro made a point of visiting Tel Bernos to salute his courage and achievement in person.


While the Second Legion was justly proud of its achievement, the toll had been heavy. Supplies of gene-seed had run critically low during the protracted urban combat, and there was a very real risk that the Legion would bleed itself dry before ever leaving Segmentum Solar. Their salvation lay with the Mechanicus, who in gratitude for liberating a major Forge World stepped in to support the Legion in their time of need. The gene-seed tithes were temporarily cut to 10% of normal, and the Legion received an emergency reserve of heavy equipment, largely aircraft. With these tools, the Legion was able to husband its biological reserves behind sheets of adamantium until such time as manpower rose.
==Strike at the Heart==
 
Ymoro now moved to escalate the battle.  The Second Legion commander divided the Techropolis into sectors and dispatched bands of battle brothers to each one to methodically purge the deadly machines within.  Despite operating in small units, the Space Marines fought with a deadly precision and few brothers were even wounded in this operation.  Yet for all the vigour with which the Legionnaires pursued their sweep-and-purge mission, they were engaged in a great distraction.  As his subordinates reported hunter-killer machines responding to their assault, Orend Ymoro and his command squad began the most dangerous part of the battle.  The would penetrate the heart of the Techropolis and investigate the life signs Tel Bernos had reported.
 
While Ymoro plunged into darkness, his warriors redoubled their efforts, seeking to draw more of their mechanical foe from the clanking depths of Calverna.  For a time, they were successful and the battle intensified - then, as one body, the machines fell back, racing towards the centre of the Techropolis.  The Second Legion's command squad beat them there, breaking open the command chamber with satchel charges and bursting in to find the nerve centre of the Techropolis rising to meet them.  Although his frame was riddled with snaking command and control cables and his brain was driven to madness by the surging input of a thousand sensors, the Arch-Maniac of Calverna was still a terrible foe. Even faced with five of the Emperor's angels of death, the Arch-Maniac was far from out-matched and he showed his might by snapping brother Dalnaj Scott's neck with one blow.  The remains of Ymoro's squad surged against their foe, their chainswords snapping at cybernetic flesh and wetting the chamber's floor with curdled blood.  But their luxury of numbers was fleeting, for the Arch-Maniac's guardians were hastening back to his defence.  Orend Ymoro ordered his bodyguard to hold the entrance and fought on alone.
 
The Legionnaires on patrol knew of their final victory when they began to find hunter-killer machines lying inert but undamaged.  All across the Calverna Techropolis, the Arch-Maniac's servants ceased to move at the moment of his death.  But celebration was tempered with sorrow when only Orend Ymoro emerged from the depths alive.  Despite the evidence of his vid-captures showing the commander's conspicuous heroism, Ymoro lionised his fallen battle brothers as the true heroes of the day.
 
==Aftermath==
 
The Emperor himself made time to congratulate the Second Legion on their accomplishment, awarding the legion as a whole and Orend Ymoro in particular the ''Crux Calvernus'' in recognition of the courage and martial prowess they had displayed.  Savants in His service descended upon the Techropolis and salvaged a great bounty of ancient technology, including many potent weapons. Although Ymoro did not openly protest, there was substantial discontent in the Second when the lion's share of the spoils were granted to the First Legion in order to continue their rapid expansion.  Bad feelings would persist between the two Legions until their joint action in the [[Volemar Gamma Campaign]].

Latest revision as of 09:10, 23 June 2023

The Cleansing of Calverna
Date c. 780.M30
Scale regional
Theatre Calverna Techropolis
Status Decisive Imperial Victory
Belligerents
Imperium of Mankind Defence System Sigma-8
Commanders and Leaders
Orend Ymoro The Arch-maniac of Calverna
Strength
Second Legion (approximately 1500 Space Marines) supported by elements of the Imperial Army Mechanical drones, directed killer machines, automated turrets in unknown quantities
Losses
Second Legion suffered minor losses.
Beta-Helix Gerstok took 16% casualties 		All forces destroyed or disabled
Outcome
Calvera's archives and significant archeotechnology recovered
This article is about a battle in the /tg/ Heresy project, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40k universe.

The Cleansing of Calverna was a battle of the Unification Wars fought by the Second Legion against the automated defences of the Calverna Techropolis. This engagement showed the Second's skills in tunnel-fighting, but it was also the first in a long line of battles fought by the Legion to recover the tools of ancient man.

Background[edit]

See also: Unification Wars (Hektor Heresy)

The origins of the Calverna Techropolis are wrapped in mystery. Fragmentary references to the complex can be found in surviving documents from the Age of Strife, but the usual problems with this source persist. Even the Imperial situation report, preserved in the archives of the War Scribes with their customary fastidiousness, is lacking in significant historical perspective. What is known is that Calverna had become a heavily fortified outpost, held by but a single man. If it seems surprising that the Emperor would commit his Adeptus Astartes to fight a lone recluse, it must be mentioned that the Arch-Maniac of Calverna was far from an ordinary man. Whether by accident or design, the Arch-Maniac had been transformed into the central intelligence of the Techropolis. His brain and nervous system no longer addressed the needs of his body, but instead controlled a small army of mechanical soldiers backed up by automated turrets and other defences. For centuries, Calverna had claimed victim after victim as unwary men entered its nightmarish halls in pursuit of ancient technology.

But now, Calverna's secrets would be sought by warriors who were far more than men. The Emperor was determined to gain access to the Techropolis's secrets - indeed, he had initially slated Hektor Cincinnatus's First Legion for the action. However, the Primarch's exemplary campaigns in Hy Brasil suggested that a change of plans might be in order. Orend Ymoro's men of the recently-activated Second Legion had displayed a considerable knack for fighting in the mayhem of hive and tunnel actions during the Merican campaign. In His wisdom the Emperor decided that this achievement qualified the Second Legion for the honour of spearheading the invasion of the Calverna Techropolis.

Probing actions[edit]

The officers of the Second were not intimidated by Calverna's reputation, but their first approach was cautious. Strikes by Imperial aircraft disabled the most obvious turrets, then elements of the famous "Old Hundred" Imperial Army regiment Beta-Helix Gerstok infiltrated the outer reaches of the Techropolis. Despite their gene-hanced stealth and the powerful air support available to them, the Gerstok took significant casualties securing their positions. However, their purpose was not merely to take ground. The most important acquisition of the Gestok were the vid-captures they dispatched to Orend Ymoro's command post. Data profiles on the mechanical killers of Calverna was swiftly streamed to the warriors of Second Legion. Ymoro was somewhat overly disturbed by the casualties to the Imperial Armymen under his command, but he knew that their sacrifice was essential to the mission. As the Gerstok continued to fall the Master of Second Legion moved his command post into the Techropolis and dispatched squads of his Space Marines to stiffen resistance at key locations. The small hunter-killer machines that had taken a toll on the Imperial Army were little threat to the Legionnaires and the situation soon stabilised.

With the outer reaches secure, Sergeant Tel Bernos was selected to head the first Legion patrol into the depths of Calverna. As with the advance of the Imperial Army, the patrol squad's primary mission was to identify the threats within the Techropolis so that the main body of the Second Legion could advance fore-warned and fore-armed. Squad Bernos soon encountered more significant killers than the drones of the periphery. Not only were the machines in the interior larger and more powerful, they moved as a coordinated force. Tel Bernos lost two battle brothers and his left hand making it back to the Second Legion lines, but the information he won was of far greater value. Besides data on the protectors of the Techropolis and it labyrinth-like interior, the patrol's auspexes had picked up faint life signs deep within the complex. Such was the stock that the Legion put in this intelligence that, even as the Sergeant was being fitted for bionic replacement, Orend Ymoro made a point of visiting Tel Bernos to salute his courage and achievement in person.

Strike at the Heart[edit]

Ymoro now moved to escalate the battle. The Second Legion commander divided the Techropolis into sectors and dispatched bands of battle brothers to each one to methodically purge the deadly machines within. Despite operating in small units, the Space Marines fought with a deadly precision and few brothers were even wounded in this operation. Yet for all the vigour with which the Legionnaires pursued their sweep-and-purge mission, they were engaged in a great distraction. As his subordinates reported hunter-killer machines responding to their assault, Orend Ymoro and his command squad began the most dangerous part of the battle. The would penetrate the heart of the Techropolis and investigate the life signs Tel Bernos had reported.

While Ymoro plunged into darkness, his warriors redoubled their efforts, seeking to draw more of their mechanical foe from the clanking depths of Calverna. For a time, they were successful and the battle intensified - then, as one body, the machines fell back, racing towards the centre of the Techropolis. The Second Legion's command squad beat them there, breaking open the command chamber with satchel charges and bursting in to find the nerve centre of the Techropolis rising to meet them. Although his frame was riddled with snaking command and control cables and his brain was driven to madness by the surging input of a thousand sensors, the Arch-Maniac of Calverna was still a terrible foe. Even faced with five of the Emperor's angels of death, the Arch-Maniac was far from out-matched and he showed his might by snapping brother Dalnaj Scott's neck with one blow. The remains of Ymoro's squad surged against their foe, their chainswords snapping at cybernetic flesh and wetting the chamber's floor with curdled blood. But their luxury of numbers was fleeting, for the Arch-Maniac's guardians were hastening back to his defence. Orend Ymoro ordered his bodyguard to hold the entrance and fought on alone.

The Legionnaires on patrol knew of their final victory when they began to find hunter-killer machines lying inert but undamaged. All across the Calverna Techropolis, the Arch-Maniac's servants ceased to move at the moment of his death. But celebration was tempered with sorrow when only Orend Ymoro emerged from the depths alive. Despite the evidence of his vid-captures showing the commander's conspicuous heroism, Ymoro lionised his fallen battle brothers as the true heroes of the day.

Aftermath[edit]

The Emperor himself made time to congratulate the Second Legion on their accomplishment, awarding the legion as a whole and Orend Ymoro in particular the Crux Calvernus in recognition of the courage and martial prowess they had displayed. Savants in His service descended upon the Techropolis and salvaged a great bounty of ancient technology, including many potent weapons. Although Ymoro did not openly protest, there was substantial discontent in the Second when the lion's share of the spoils were granted to the First Legion in order to continue their rapid expansion. Bad feelings would persist between the two Legions until their joint action in the Volemar Gamma Campaign.

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