First Sagittarius Crusade
 This article or section has been selected for Exterminatus by the Ordo Editant. The Emperor Corrects. |
Part of the campaigns of the War Scribes.
The Legion's path carried it to the south and east, taking a wide route around the Maelstrom. Though their numbers had recovered to a potent 40,000 strong, every Scribe Legionnaire had taken the lessons of Specularia to heart, and wanted as little to do with clearly Warp-tainted areas of the Galaxy as possible. Unknowingly, they were passing through the space owned by the Overfiend of Octarius, and the Marines became engaged in a brutal series of battles over a broad front, stretching several hundred light-years.
Arelex's talents were pressed to the limit, grinding away at the seemingly endless Orkish hordes. Though the Imperium's powerful weaponry and dogged discipline proved invaluable in paving the way for the Imperial Army to strike deep into Ork-held worlds, and the technological know-how of Mars allowed many planets to be purged of Orkish spores, the Ork menace was simply too unstructured, too fluid in its assaults, and its manpower too limitless. Counterattacks came from all sides, and no conquered planet considered itself safe.
Slowly, Arelex began to understand that he faced something far different than his warriors had ever handled before. The Greenburn, Calvera, and dozens of other isolated Orkish planets were utterly insignificant compared to the looming, shadowed menace lurking before the Second Legion. Far from random strikes, these Orkish invasions acted as though directed from a central control point, and moved with purpose. The War Scribes Legion were interlopers in the den of an angry beast, and his hands reached far and wide to crush the irritation.
The frequency of the raids intensified with each passing day, and the Legion's vertical envelopment tactics proved useful for fending off the small offensives. Each Ork Warboss fought in a different fashion from his peers, and so the Legion created new tactical variations to match them. Seeking information on the foe's nature, Arelex led the bulk of his fleet into the jaws of Orkish space, shattering their way through the Orkish lines. With the shock of so much weight of arms behind them, the Second Legion crushed through all in their path.
Of perhaps a hundred or more worlds near the Legion's sweeping advance, almost eighty were fully cleansed of Orkish taint, and a line was cut across most of the Sagittarius Arm establishing a barrier. Primarch Arelex set up a staggered defensive cordon of Fortress Worlds here. These planets would contain the Ork in the space near the Galactic Core, prevent them from retaliating into Segmentum Solar, and create a staging point for future Imperial assaults upon his worlds. The gate was open, and now the door had to be forced. Arelex would turn his back to the Sagittarius Arm for now, and strike down upon the remaining Ork worlds with the rear flanks covered.
These Fortress Worlds became known as the Sagittarius Wall, and their Mars-crafted ramparts would guard the entry to the Sagittarius Arm for long millennia. For nine thousand years the Sagittarius Wall would hold, eventually crumbling completely in the 39th Millennium.
Infuriated by the audacity of the Imperium, the Overfiend himself emerged from his savage base of power, and the Second Legion found themselves abruptly on the back foot after so many initial successes. Clever aerial tactics meant nothing in the face of unbridled force. There were simply more Orks than the Legion had Bolter rounds. Billions of Orks struck at every occupied planet, and swarms of Orkish vessels dueled in the void. In a matter of months, the Second Legion was thrown back from more than forty recently conquered worlds, and the damage to men, machines and morale was immense. Every possible stratagem was tried and found wanting. The War Scribes were shoved into the defensive cordon they had erected just a year before, fighting savagely just to hold the full-fledged WAAAGH! at bay.
Mars rallied to the beleaguered Legion's aid, and the reborn Calvernan Forge World of Magnos Majoris led the charge. Dozens of Titans, multiple Mechanicus fleets, and uncountable Cybernetica and Skitarii solidified the Sagittarius Wall alongside the soldiers of the Imperial Army, and beneath their protection, Arelex gathered his forces for retaliation. Thinking back to their original successes, it slowly became apparent that the Orks must be taken by storm, before they could communicate with the rest of the titanic hordes. The Ork horde was mighty, but took time to redirect against new threats. Strike with maximum force, then mop up the survivors in detail. Perhaps this was the key. In any case, it was a terrible risk, for the Legion could not afford a failure. The Imperium had no more to give to these sectors. No second chances.
Now, though, the Second Legion had a target. The Ork Warlord was forced from his iron throne to herd the various Warbosses under his control in the right direction, and Imperial communications identified the hub around which his empire spun, the planet of Octarius. And so, the orders went out. "Press forward to Octarius, at any cost. Burn the planet to the ground, and slay its master. Nothing else will end this war."
30,000 Marines, backed by huge numbers of Imperial Army and Martian soldiers, unleashed the gathered might of the Imperium like a Battle Cannon shell, crashing into the Orkish lines. The Orks were ill-prepared for the sortie, believing the Imperial forces caged within their bastions. The strike which opened the cordon of the Sagittarius Wall had taken roughly a year's hard fighting to complete. The Legion had been pinned against it for three times that duration. The lightning drive towards Octarius saw the War Scribes fleet in orbit overhead within six months, for the Overlord's attention was elsewhere as he attempted to bring down the Wall.
Octarius burned at once, the Legion knowing its time in orbit was limited. No Marines landed, the planet was simply burnt to ash by orbital bombardment. Uncountable Orks died in that inferno, and the Legion's navy laid waste to the Roks and other Orkish vessels under construction in the Overfiend's vast orbital yards. From there they broke into five sub-units, and struck outward like the spokes of a wheel, slicing an enormous circle through space and chopping it into pieces like a colossal pie. Turning in upon themselves, the Legion crushed everything in their path. Without leadership, the Orks were too busy fighting among themselves to withstand the deadly blows. The core of the Overfiend's empire, nearly two hundred worlds, was reduced to nothing but a scorched husk.
The Overfiend was forced to respond to this unexpected hammer-blow, and reports from across the Sagittarius Wall came in that Orkish presence was decreasing precipitously as they turned to crush the Primarch. Surely, the Overfiend would not be long in coming, once his remaining forces were rallied. Upon the mountainous world of Erichian IV, cleared of Orks barely a few weeks prior, Arelex would make his stand. The craggy peaks were fortified with all available strength, enormous bunkers and fortifications were constructed with the help of the Mechanicus, and the Imperial Army prepared itself to annihilate any Ork that made planetfall.
In orbit, Arelex waited with his fleet, hoping to blunt the Overfiend's counterattack as much as possible and bleed them white while the planetary defense batteries still stood operational. 20,000 Legionnaires held key points on the surface, and the remainder gathered in Assault Boats for a very particular mission. Once the Primarch was satisfied that the defenses would hold long enough, they would strike at the head of the beast, and hunt the Overfiend in his own flagship. Two months later, a colossal monstrosity larger than any Imperial battleship exited the Warp near Erichian IV, and billions of Orkish throats gave the terrible WAAAGH cry over every vox.
The void crackled with gigajoules of energy, and untold numbers Orks and men met their fate, crushed from existence by naval ordnance. The Imperial ships stood the test well, bolstered by Mechanicus improvements and carefully tended to by passionate Engineseers. The fleet made a methodical fighting retreat, allowing itself to be pushed back from the system's rim to within the orbit of Erichian IV's sizeable moon, almost a planet in its own right. Using the bulk of the moon as cover, damaged Imperial vessels fell back to effect emergency repairs before returning to the front line. Ork vessel after Ork vessel burned and flared into titanic explosions, and the Imperial forces killed a dozen ships for every one they lost, but even still, the Overfiend's reserves kept pouring in.
Finally, the fleet was forced to take cover completely, pulling back out of range of Orkish guns as the Overfiend directed his attentions to the planet below. Millions of Orks died before ever making planetfall, but the Overfiend simply crashed half of his crude ships into the defense batteries, wiping them out and causing terrible casualties. Orks poured from the shattered wrecks, charging heedlessly into Imperial gunfire. The Cybernetica took the brunt of the first strike, their mechanical bodies counting for nothing in the balance of power. Though armored and immune to fear and blood loss, the Cybernetica eventually gave way when the Orks finally closed to slugga range, hacked to bits upon the planet's blasted surface. Behind the Cybernetica, the War Scribes waited at the ready for the moment to strike.
Two days into the fighting, Primarch Arelex deemed the moment ripe. The Overfiend could not land more troops, lest the Imperial fleet swing back around the moon and shatter them piecemeal as they prepared to de-orbit. Nor could he turn to strike the hidden Imperial fleet, because his forces on-planet would lose their reinforcement stream. By Arelex's reckoning, he had the Ork pinned exactly where he wanted him, the immense body of Orkish troops split and critically reduced in leadership and effectiveness. Rounding the moon, the Gloriana-class flagship set its engines to full and prepared to ram the Orkish command vessel. By forcing the Overfiend into the fray in orbit rather than on the ground, the Primarch believed that the Orks on Erichian IV would break apart and be destroyed piecemeal.
In the void of space, there was no sound as the two gigantic vessels slammed into each other. Driven back by the Gloriana's immense thruster drives, the Overfiend's flagship slowly fell from orbit with an unbelievable impact, embedding itself deep into the moon's crust as its own engines sputtered to a halt. Plumes of fire quietly drifted away, accompanied by clouds of shrapnel and drifting bodies of Ork and Man, and from the fleet's perspective there was a kind of calm now that the Ork's guns were silenced.
Inside was a different story, as klaxons wailed and the entire battleship groaned under the immense strain. Within minutes, the Marines were back on their feet, charging across the ruined hull segments into the Orkish flagship, shooting anything that moved. For eight hours, thousands of Marines battled a hundred thousand Orks, striking from place to place with overwhelming force and never allowing the Orks to bring their mass to bear. The Primarch was an engine of destruction, barreling through bulkheads and tearing Orks apart with his power armored gauntlets, constantly urging his soldiers onward.
The Overfiend's command bridge had come through the shattering collision remarkably well, all things considered. Components crackled and sparked, and broken shards of metal lay across every surface, but who could say how good they looked before? Mekboyz weren't exactly known for their attention to detail, nor their care for maintenance needs. The Overfiend lurked within the red-tinged gloom, a titanic mass of flesh and bioniks shaded black in the blood red emergency lighting. Primarch Arelex ripped open the ruined doorframe, forcing his way onto the tilted bridge, and behind him were dozens of picked Legion veterans.
The Overfiend laughed deep within his chest, a hideous gurgling rumble like a damaged Stormbird engine. "You may 'ave killed me boyz, humie... You moighta wrecked me fav'rite ship... You even busted up me stompin' grounds... But this ain't over till I says it's over, you 'ere me? Da biggest Ork rules da ovvas, and dey'll rally to 'is banna no matter where 'e goes. I'll kill you lot roight here and take ya skulls wiv me, and get me anuvva WAAGH! Dis WAAGH's boyz wasn't good enuff fer the scrap, sure. They ain't fought nuffin worth the teef in years! You lot proved dat. But da next one will be betta than eva, coz da next boys'll be 'ard as as a tanned Squig! I's just gotta kill a few more Humies ta do it, I fink. Simple-like."
"I will cut your cancer from this Galaxy, Ork. There is no place in my father's Imperium for filth like you. Prepare to meet your heathen gods, for I will break you upon their idols." With a primal howl of rage, Arelex lunged straight for the Overfiend, emptying both slugthrower and flamer into the Ork's chest. Armor shattered and blood flowed, but the Warboss was simply too big and too dense for the rounds to have much effect. Laughing, the Ork backhanded the Primarch across the bridge, slamming Arelex into a bulkhead twenty feet away. "You'z gonna hafta do betta than dat, Humie! I've been 'it harder by me Squigs!"
The Ork's gloating was silenced by three Legionnaires slashing at his Power Klaw wielding left hand with power swords and chainaxes, causing sparks to fly as the pristinely maintained Imperial tech strove to destroy the crude but nearly indestructible Ork iron. "GET DA ZOG OFF ME, YOU GROTS! I AIN'T 'ERE TA FOIGHT DA RUNTS OF DA LITTA!" In a twinkling of an eye, the Overfiend had the three marines pinned to the ground underneath the Klaw, megajoules of energy pouring form the crude bionik and frying the men within their armor. A sickly smell of burned flesh filled the air, and the Ork drank in the new atmosphere with relish. "Maybe you Humies are good for sumfin' after all, yeah? Smells like you's good eats!"
Even as his men died in agony, the Primarch was back on his feet, rushing inside the Ork's guard while the heavy Klaw rested on the floor. Feet securely planted, Arelex delivered punch after punch to the Overfiend's exposed face, neck, and shoulders, slashing away with his arcane Power Sword. The Primarch's strong arms shattered flesh, bone, and bionik alike as the Overfiend staggered backwards. Arelex spoke no words, merely advancing forward in cadence with every stumble the Ork took. Relentless body blows with white hot adamantium shells began to take their toll as the Overfiend gasped for breath, his bioniks shutting down in the increasingly stale air. With a herculean effort, the Ork brought his damaged Klaw high overhead, delivering a crashing blow to Arelex's upraised right arm. The Primarch's armor cracked and bent, but he held the mortal strike at bay. Regaining his breath, the Overfiend tore off a huge chunk of flesh from the right side of his own chest, revealing a battery of cannons hidden beneath. "You like it, Humie? I got some good bitz after me Squiggoth got too friendly. Now, DIE!"
A dozen plasma rounds spiraled out from the hidden launchers, catching the Primarch squarely in the chest. Armor disabled, scorched, and enshrouded in crackling energy, Arelex fell to the deck, barely conscious. His helmet fell away with the impact, rolling across the deck. The Warboss laughed evilly as he brought the Klaw's pincers around the Primarch's exposed neck. "Ya did good, Humie. I won't ferget ya, I promise ya dat. But I'z gonna burn yer Imperium-fingy to da ground fer dis insult. I promise ya dat, too."
The last remnants of Arelex's strength expended itself forcing the deactivated armor to move. Arelex shoved the Klaw backwards and grabbed both the Ork's legs, pinning him in place where he stood. Unhelmed, Arelex was exposed to the Ork's fury, and in moments would be sliced in two by the Klaw. "Not today, Ork." Startled, the Overfiend looked up, forgetting Arelex as half the bridge's walls fell away, revealing more than two dozen Legionnaires.
The ruined bulkheads had been cleared, and all that remained of them was a few thin sheets of metal blocking the bridge access. Kicking down this last paltry barrier, the remaining Marines in Arelex's bodyguard leveled their heavy weapons upon the Overfiend's damaged body, unloading as one in a torrent of bolter shell and plasma fire. At the beginning of combat, the Ork could have weathered the storm, but the Primarch's strikes had weakened his defenses beyond hope. The Ork fell backwards for the final time, eyes boiling with blue fire as plasma energy dissolved his guts and flared out from every wound. Clambering slowly to his feet, Arelex spat a gobbet of bloody saliva into the ruined corpse, watching it sizzle in the flames.
"Ave Imperator."
Though the fighting on Erichian IV would last nearly three more months despite the Overfiend's death, for such massed hordes had inertia all their own, nevertheless the Imperium triumphed. Hundreds of worlds enslaved to the Xenos were freed, and though many had been consumed entirely for the Orkish war machine, many still held human populations held in thrall. The Imperial Army and the Mechanicus were hailed as heroes, and the War Scribes led the cheering, for without their sacrifice holding the Sagittarius Wall, the Legion could not have gathered its forces for the telling blow. Five years later, the Overfiend's legions were purged from nearly every planet, and the base of the Sagittarius Arm was an Imperial domain.
The Gloriana flagship was refloated, repaired, and rechristened the Ascent of Man in honor of the Legion's achievement. Its shattered prow, formerly styled into an Imperial Aquila, was instead recarved into a likeness of the Overfiend's enormous skull, clenched in an armored Marine gauntlet just as it had been when the Primarch held it aloft to the cheering troops on Erichian IV. Ugly and tasteless, yet undeniably intimidating, the Legion would never forget what their flagship represented. No xenos could bar their path.