Editing Vulpis Canem (section)

===First Contact===
Alexandri and the XV Legion had been tasked with clearing out a particularly bothersome Orkish Empire. He was pleasantly surprised to discover that there was one island of humanity within the green sea. Though they were undoubtedly contaminated beyond Imperial standards, he believed that an attempt should be made to reignite contact and bring them into the compliance. The only problem was that his Legion was tied up in the fight. He assumed they would either be grateful for the assistance of other humans or be destroyed.

They were surprised when they moved into the system to find a fully functional and militarized force. Supreme Commander Dalask sent a brief message, inviting the civilization to join the Imperium. It was met with silence and the new-found humans maneuvering into defensive formations. So he sent a second message. This time he clearly stated his name, a history of the Imperium's conquests, details of his commander and Legion, and instructions that they were to either surrender and join peacefully into compliance or be taken by force. This time, he received an answer.

<span>''"We are the Vulpis Confederacy, chaired by the planet Vulpis, protected by the Canem. We have endured the Long Night through strength and strength alone. We have weathered the storm of untold species of alien. We have sacrificed all for survival. You come to us as conquerors, but know you will leave us empty handed. We will not sell our independence. Should you attack us, we shall retaliate. We shall fight to the last. Should you succeed, you will rule only ash."''</span>

With that message, their fleets began to advance. The short naval battle that followed showed the Strelky that they were true to their words. Neither side claimed victory in the void, and both left the field severely damaged. Dalask was undeterred and moved to attempt a planetary invasion of one of their bodies. For the first few hours, it was a disaster. Almost all of his landing craft were shot from the sky. Those who did land were quickly decimated. Then, something remarkable happened. The entire body of the defending Canem became utterly confused. In the confusion, the Strelky managed to create a foothold and begin advancing their forces on the planet. This advance was halted almost as soon as it started. His military advancements only managed to shake the Canem out of their shock of meeting other human beings. The Canem regrouped and attacked in force. Dalask found his ground troops to be utterly outgunned and outarmored. The fatalist determination of his troops was faltering in the face of a will of combat rarely seen outside of Astartes. With a second and larger fleet heading towards him, he decided to regroup and retreat to the fleets of the XV Legion.