Editing The 13th Black Crusade (section)

===Fighting Tooth and Nail===

Ten of the Black Fleet's mightiest warships, led by the [[Vengeful Spirit]] itself, dropped out of the Warp just inside the range of the ''Phalanx's'' guns, apparently no longer afraid of their fury. A mix of battleships and grand cruisers drove hard into the flanks of the Adeptus Mechanicus rearguard, and as one by one the ragged flotilla escaped into the relative safety of the warp, Cawl's forces was soon left on its own to face the Chaos fleet's anger.

The Great Enemy's ships fired at extreme range, and it was only malign luck that one salvo managed to punch through the ''Iron Revenant's'' rear shields. Two plasma drives were damaged, but the worse news was that the Gellar Field generator was damaged as well.  For Cawl and all on the Ark Mechanicus, there was no escaping into the Warp now.

Fearful for the loss of his important cargo, Cawl ordered the Ark Mechanicus into an evasive heading, while the rest of the fleet tried to cover its escape. Interceptors sortied one last time from their hangars, as the return salvoes from the Mechanicus ships roared silently into the void. Realistically only the ''Iron Revenant'' had the firepower to match the incoming enemy ships, but its escorts gave their maximum effort anyway.

Salvos overloaded shields and buckled armor, and explosions blossomed in the space between the two fleets, while outnumbered interceptors fought off Heldrakes and Hell talons. For all their defiance, the approach of the Chaos fleet was inexorable, and had the Mechanicus twice the amount of warships it would still not be enough. One by one the remnants of Cawl's fleet met their ends amidst exploding plasma drives and desperate boarding actions.

As for Cawl, the Archmagos labored to get the damaged Gellar field generators back online, each precious minute bought with blood. It was not enough though, as the ''Vengeful Spirit'' was gaining ground on the damaged Ark Mechanicus. It was only a matter of time before that cursed vessel drew level with the limping warship, but once that happened it was the end. There was no way that the Ark would survive the broadside that would follow.

For the first time in millennia, Cawl despaired. He had failed, and once the Ark was destroyed, his important cargo was forfeit.