Razing of Leshmiere

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

Leshmiere Sector Compliance
Date	864.M30
Scale	System
Theatre	Leshmiere I, Leshmiere II
Status	Decisive Imperial Victory
Belligerents
38th Expedition Fleet	Leshmieren Civil Soldiers
Commanders and Leaders
Alexandri Ibirien	Joint-Elder Commune of Leshmiere
Strength
2,000 Astartes of the Fifteen Legion, 1 million Imperial Armymen. Multiple warships.	20 million human defenders, 50 million inter-system levies.
Losses
Loss of 131 Marines. 500,000 Imperial Armymen.	10 million defenders dead, rest captured or missing. 100 million Leshmieren civilians dead from starvation.
Outcome
Leshmiere system is razed, inhabitants scattered, sector liberated.

The Leshmiere Sector Compliance, better-known as the Razing of Leshmiere, was a campaign in the Great Crusade. The action sent shockwaves through the Imperium for its abject brutality. The Silver Cataphracts showed all the knightly ways of the Argent were well and truly dead. The Imperial Army were utilized on the front lines by an Astartes Legion to negate losses. Civilian targets were not overlooked. Alexandri Ibirien demonstrated his strategies, philosophy, and will to achieve victory throughout the campaign.

Background and Preliminary Conflicts

The Leshmieren Commune was formed between a twin set of lush, fertile worlds locked around the same star. Refugees from nearby worlds fled through warp storm and Xenos to reach them during the Age of Strife. As the federation of man collapsed into anarchy, these people found their promised land. The Leshmieren began to rapidly improve infrastructure, built great cities, and managed to save some of Dark Age's magnificent technology. One key feature was their ubiquitous hover vehicles, which gave them a military edge. Together these planets would rise out of the Long Night as one nation intent on never allowing the injustices that brought them there to be exacted again.

With this aim in mind the Commune tolerated no resistance. All systems around them were conquered without remorse by the elite armies drawn up from a trained warrior aristocracy. Aliens were enslaved for as punishment for the years of humiliation humanity faced at their hands. Human worlds placed oppressed by collectivist puppet regimes who eliminated all individual rights. Several planets would find themselves paying hefty taxes, and having entire generations taken up by the Leshmieren to man their great levy garrisons. The populace of the Commune was not ignorant of these occurrences, but believed them to be minor in the grand scheme of matters. To them this was necessary for the survival of humanity.

This did not hold up well when the Imperium made contact with Leshmieren outposts.

The very concept of the Imperium was at odds with the Commune, and peaceful Compliance could never be achieved. Years of hard fought progress would be undone, and they would never accept giving over their meticulously constructed armies to the Emperor. The Assembly ratified an Edict of War, to never cease in the persecution of Imperial worlds. In 858.M30, several neighboring worlds brought into Compliance were attacked by Commune forces. The losses to the Imperium were hefty, and necessitated retreat. For six years, the Commune held these outlying worlds. That was until the Silver Cataphracts arrived with two Expedition Fleets.

Imperial Invasion

The Remorseless Raider, Veshnyak

Alexandri had completed his purges and reassembled his forces, while also training up aspirants in droves. In addition to this hundreds of Kuzgetan Defense Regiments were drawn up into new Strelky reserves for the Expedition Fleets. The 16th and 38th Fleets were led directly by the despot of Rosskar to the edge of Commune space. The fighting here was largely unremarkable, for there was much support for local populaces and the Leshmieren had left only modest garrisons. They had no anticipated such a forceful response from the Imperium, and resolved to leave their best in defense of the home system.

Veshnyak proved himself during examination of the Sacred Band as pragmatic soul. Perhaps too overzealous in his duty for some, Alexandri saw a rough diamond to break in. The Primarch gave Veshnyak total command of his forces in the subjugation of nearly six worlds, to see how he'd preform. Uncaring for ethical constraints, drop pod assaults into civic centers was utilized to cut around enemy defenses. With the fall of major anti-stellar and anti-aircraft batteries, capitulation came soon after. While resentment might bubble beneath the surface, the Imperium was far more lenient than the Commune, and this was tolerated. For a time.

Veshnyak truly proved himself when he came to realization the Leshmieren Navy was far more grand than original thought. Through captives and defectors, the true scope came known to him. Living up to his namesake, the Space Marine chose to draw out their strength with swift raids. Before long the Leshmieren foe caught wise, but not before losing key elements of their defense. Finally Veshnyak unveiled his plan to Alexandri, a costly one. A decoy fleet would arrive to draw in the main force, and fight there, unlike they had before. Doing this would bring the Leshmieren into believing the attack was genuine, and commit. Then the true force would come in through a very calculated warp jump on their sides.

Alexandri approved of the plan, and would not blame Veshnyak for what transpired next.

Initially the ambush was going according to plan. The Leshmieren saw victory, and attempted to seize it akin to a dying animal grasping sustenance. The elements who had volunteered for the duty of bait did not attempt to trade blows, but dodge and deflect. Lasting as long as possible to buy time. The Leshmieren caught on to this plan, and chose to disengage. When the trap was sprung, there was no force to attack on the flanks. Those ships chosen to take up the assault had been badly damaged. Alexandri chose to take command, relieving Veshnyak from the experience. But his efforts had brought them this far, and Alexandri would not forget that.

The Primarch would have victory this day. The damaged ships were emptied of all crew that could be spared, and the rest were ordered to ram the Leshmieren blockade. Before entering broadside range, the Warp Drive that allowed the ships access to faster-than-light travel would be overclocked. This stress on the machine would cause a catastrophic explosion, consuming all the lives around it. Such tactics were known, but rarely considered by Imperial Commanders in the past due to the unknown nature of the Immaterium and what might happen to those lost there. Alexandri did not care. The Leshmierens were taken by absolute surprise, and swarmed by the remainder of the 16th and 38th Expedition Fleets.

Leshmiere Burns

As the battle above the two worlds had been one, the war on their surfaces still remained. Alexandri decided to make an example of one to the other. Outside the major cities on Leshmiere-I, hundreds of Strelky regiments were deployed. These forces were ordered to swarm the installations, and note down every tactic and defense shown. After being reduced to a non-combative strength, more regiments were sent down, equipped with new knowledge. If this wave failed, then Space Marines with an even greater number of Strelky would be sent in. The tactics were unnecessary, many in the Legion knew the Cataphracts could complete this task alone. But Alexandri would not waste a single one of his men unnecessarily.

The populace of Leshmiere-I were shocked by the callous attitude of not only the Strelky but the Cataphracts. Civilians were not a concern, targets were targets. Whole swathes of urban structures became a leveled waste to make allow an easier time for assaults. The populace was decidedly turned against their invaders, but this did not matter. They were all crushed beneath boots and treads by the Rosskan forces. This grueling campaign lasted for months. The entire time, a deadlock was put on Leshmiere-II. Not assaulted, but not allowed to assist its neighboring world. Forced to watch and learn of what was transpiring, as communications were left unhampered.

As Leshmiere-I surrendered, eyes turned to its sister. Alexandri spoke to the Speaker of the Assembly, Andiu Marista, about formal surrender. Andiu gave an impassioned, two hour long speech about why Lesmhiere would triump, and if not, it would hold glory and grace in defeat. Alexandri accepted this, let Andiu go unharmed, then ordered his fleets to level the largest city on Lesmhiere-II. Then they were to work down to the smallest, until someone begged them to stop. It would be the Speaker himself in the end calling for an end to the death.

Aftermath

The remainder of the elite armed forces of Leshmiere were to be sworn into the Imperial Army, under Alexandri. If they were ever to disobey a single order of his, the garrisons of Strelky placed on their world were to kill every man above the age of sixteen in a reactionary purge. This measure ensured the loyalty of the Leshmieren well into the Hektor Heresy. Key figures were sent to former Commune colonies and dominions, sometimes former overlords, to beg the populace not to follow their example of resistance.

The War Council was absolutely livid with Alexandri's actions, the loss of life, and the precedent this set for future campaigns. But the worlds Alexandri brought into the Imperium never rebelled again after Compliance, a fact that would serve him well in the years to come after the campaign.