Flenching of Skythykos

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

Trectos Defensive Campaign
Date	864.M30
Scale	Two Sectors
Theatre	Trectos and Skythykos
Status	Decisive Imperial Victory
Belligerents
Commanders and Leaders
Inferox	Rennugg the Fat
Strength
10,000 Astartes of the Fourth Legion, minor Imperial Army fleet assets	Over 200,000 Orks across two sectors.
Losses
Loss of 1,289 Marines. Two Battlecruisers heavily damaged, seven frigate vessels lost with all hands.	Totall loss of nearly every Ork committed. Survivors scattered out of Imperial space.
Outcome
Trector Sector defended, Skythykos Cluster conquered and cleansed

The Trectos Sector in 864.M30 was swarmed by Greenskins coming from the nearby Skythykos cluster. The neighboring sector of Nibur was home to Crematoria, which held the newly formed Sons of Fire Legion. With their scarred Primarch Inferox leading them, they saved both Trectos before lasting damage could be dealt. It served as the ultimate test of the newly discovered Primarch's abilities, and cemented the capabilities of his Legion.

Background

Upon arrival, we sat down at base figuring this assignment wouldn't last two months. We were on that shitheap for five years.

-Captain Serman Williams, 10th Carlisian Shock Troops

The Trectos Sector had no rising powers, or dangerous Xenos civilizations growing to compete with the Imperium. The worlds were a handful of nameless Agri-worlds and a Mining-world cobbled together into an inglorious trade compact. The Expedition Fleets swore in the planets without any difficulty. As they passed them by, a minor garrison of Carlisian regiments deployed intent on holding the newly Compliant worlds. The modest complement added to the Imperium a small boon of raw goods and even managed to raise up a dozen regiments for the Imperial Army. These troops would face their greatest trial in the defense of their homeworlds only five years later.

All the Imperial movement had drawn the attention of Rennugg the Fat, a Warboss of overindulgent size. Rennugg understood keenly - for an Ork - that if they struck at the Imperium's supply planets, right away reinforcements would respond with bigger and stronger warriors. Acting out the same way Boyz do when someone is messing with their Squigg herds. With this knowledge, he began to ready his domain for a war unlike anything his Orks had seen. Several asteroids were hollowed out under Rennugg's supervision, with the Mekboyz being forcibly overworked by cruel overseers on the Warboss's instruction. Great stockpiles of bits and dakka were amassed in preparation for the war, grossly outweighing what would be necessary. A primitive, Orkish form of training was conducted by allowing thousands of Orks to butcher each other to get harder and bigger.

Finally Rennugg grew bored with the endless build-up, attacking some time in late 864.M30.

Rennugg's Offensive

I am proud to declare my place in the liberation of those worlds. We stood side by side with living firestorms, and held our own.

-Aluf Lletram Quinten, 75th Gethsemane Noble Guard

Trecton, the lone mining world became the capital of the Sector. The stellar territory was organized hastily, owning only a meager defense fleet and equipped with an inadequate number of Imperial Army Regiments. The might of Rennugg's early strike took them completely by surprise. All four gunboats intended to protect Trecton were easily swept aside by the overwhelming number of Orkish vessels attacking. The Orks landed down onto the planet expecting little resistance to come from the locals. After all, the Warboss's plan was to draw out better fighters. Each Ork came to be pleasantly surprised by the abilities of the 10th and 15th Carlisian Shock Troops Regiments stationed there.

Untold civilian casualties resulted in poor evacuation measures that funneled citizens into gathering grounds that quickly turned into slaughtering fields. Rennugg had no compulsions about randomly murdering any in his path, his decidedly un-Orky tendencies coming out. Not even the Boyz committing the acts felt joy from it. Every innocent lost incised the local populace, who put up an even more fierce fight. In return, the Orks became ever pleased with their increased tenacity. Though having immense reserves of Orks to throw at the defenders, Rennugg's hordes were lacking in strong Nobs. Largely untested against non-Orkish opponents, the Carlisians bought precious time in their aggressive defense.

There was no time wasted by Inferox in mustering up the full might of his fledgling Legion. Every Marine available was drawn into the 14th Expedition Fleet, as the Primarch hoped to show all the strength of his Sons. The 18th, 27th, and 29th Gethsemane Noble Guards had arrived with the ships of the 14th, quickly pulled into the reinforcement effort upon arrival. Though Inferox wished to immediately assist Trecton, it was Adarhormazd who valued caution above blind action. With the assistance of the Legionary Equerry Dilshad an attack plan was devised. The Gethsemane Regiments would land upon Trecton to bolster the defense. While the Sons rebuffed the smaller Ork bands around the Sector.

Rennugg did not bulk from a head on fight with the Sons of Fire. As their bolters and chainswords tore into his eager hordes, the Warboss went right to where his surviving forces informed him of their presence. Trecton had been barely holding on before, but as the Orks retreated, the Gethsemane arrived. With them the Carlisians pressed forward with an assault on all planetary theaters. With superior airpower combined with the zealous Trectoi levies and fresh armor of the Noble Guard the still budding Ork forces faced annihilation. The hero of Trecton, one Captain Serman Williams had led the Imperial defense for seven straight months after every single higher ranking officer was killed in the opening stages of the conflict.

Inferox never faced the main body of the Ork threat as he intended, drawing them into a unfair engagement to break their waves down with fire. Rather Rennugg believed himself safe in the Skythkos cluster of worlds and asteroids at the southern edge of the sector. He was about to proven horribly wrong.

Imperial Reprisal

Time was key.

-Inferox, reflecting on the campaign

No celebrations were held on Trecton, or the other liberated worlds. The victory felt hollow. The majority of their foe had been allowed to escape, the Warboss who had exacted such injustice had been able to run away. Rather than attempting to ease tensions, Inferox fanned the resentment. He let it be known through correspondence with key figures that his intentions were to pursue this foe to the very end. Captain Serman and the now combined regiments of the Carlisian 10th and 15th were brought aboard right away. The 14th Expedition Fleet had suffered no damages due to never colliding with the Ork "ships". Though Adarhormazd urged caution, Inferox knew within his heart this was the time to strike.

In the dense gravity well of the Skythykos cluster, many gas clouds and wandering bodies collided together. Rennugg adored the location, knowing you'd have to be absolutely mad to ever attempt to enter it. The conflicting gaseous lakes reeked hell upon a ship's ability to sense anything upon entering. This when combined with the roaming asteroids created an environment only navigable by the tether lines of waystations Rennugg had built. Inferox simply went through it, hoping for the best. His audacity caught the Orks completely by surprise.

It was not without sacrifice. One Battlecruiser was rendered combat ineffective. Two Sword Frigates had been lost in the clouds, never to be seen emerge again. The shock at being attacked within their protected realm meant everything for the Sons of Fire who descended upon Rennugg's ships maliciously. In the mayhem, Orks raced to activated their vessels unknowing others were doing the same. This lead to incidents were two ships would accidentally rub against one another, or outright collide. Some Kaptains believed this meant betrayal, and began randomly shooting any ship that "looked funny". Though enough forces would eventually take flight to cause catastrophic damage to another Battlecruiser, and bring the loss of another Sword Frigate.

Inferox's forces landed down upon Skythykos Prime, issuing challenge to Rennugg. Oddly craven for a Warboss, he waited until he outnumbered the Space Marines one to two hundred. This was expected by Inferox, who retreated into natural blockade. But the best Orks had been saved from destruction, pulled from the fronts in Trectos during the redeployment and then retreat. The Legion was hard pressed to hold the line, sending gusts of fire and bolter shells into the wading Orks. The plan devised the Primarch seemed about to buckle due to the sheer ferocity displayed by their enemy.

Aluf Lletram Quinten was a youthful officer tasked to act as a deterrent to possible flanking manoeuvres made by the Orks. Knowing his foe from Trectos, the Aluf did not believe that possible. Instead he disobeyed orders to rush into the side of the Orkish contingent driving a firm wedge with the tanks of the 28th Noble Guard. Serman Williams similarly decided to deploy his beleaguered Armymen to assist the brave attack with an aerial assault. The tide did not turn, but Rennugg was left stunned. For he had sent a flanking force, and believed them already defeated if he was being attacked from the side. He ordered a retreat, right as Dilshad led the former Sacred Band members and the Unification Wars veterans rained down from drop pods to cut off any chance of withdrawal. The slaughter was great, with Rennugg himself being decapitated by Inferox.

The campaign did not end there, but it effectively had concluded. The last remnants of resistance throughout the cluster were systematically cleansed. The assistance of the Imperial Army was no longer necessary, but Inferox openly congratulated every single mortal who had taken part in the fighting. Serman Williams had gone above the requirements of his station to bring victory to the Imperium. In return, the Primarch made him Sector Governor. A position he may have not wanted, but quickly grew into. His men were allowed to retire back home to Carlisar IV, but they refused stating it would do no one could to have them stay there.

Aftermath

What do you mean that jackass Williams is Sector Governor?

-General Henri Stephon, upon hearing Serman Williams's declaration

The War Council had slated the assignment of the 14th Expedition Fleet as a defense campaign. Inferox had not only taken his Legion a year after assuming command to victory, but utterly wiped out the source of the Orks. The Skythykos cluster would never see the taint of Orks again, a rare occurrence when dealing with the Xenos menace. A few decades after the Trectos campaign, Imperial scholars began to refer to it as the Flenching. Because his Legion had never stepped upon Trecton, the world would face chronic Greenskin infestations that would necessitate being put down. Thanks to the leadership of Governor Williams, this became an easily dealt with issue.

Aluf Lletram Quinten had not carried himself out of the campaign cleanly. The Orks had used firebombs against his tank, eating up his crew and scarring his skin. Inferox reprimanded him for his recklessness, and rewarded him for his service by placing the 28th Noble Guard alongside the First Conflagration's deployments for the remainder of th Great Crusade.