Grudge War - The Core

Points: 2000.

Deployment: Front Line.

Primary Objective: Seize Ground.

Chaplain Mortus was dispatched by Athurus with a companies worth of battle brothers to take ground lost to the Votann on Asteroid M40. The task force arrived via Thunderhawk an immediately launched an attack upon the mining base there. with the intent on destroying the xenos threat once and for all. 

When the Votann charged into battle, the engagement turned against the Rift Wardens. The Votann outnumbered the space marines significantly, with more forces tunneling up from the underground mine workings below. This counter assault broke the Rift Warden's defensive positions and the entire company of space marines was slain down to a man. Only auspex scans from the Thunderhawk allowed the chapter to learn of their brothers' fate.

Operation: Starfall - Olympus

Points: 2000.

Deployment: Front Line.

Primary Objective: Duel.

When the Inquisition learns that a gathering of renegade (not Chaos) space marine chapters have gathered on the world of Olympus, they gather several loyalist forces with the intent to eradicate them once and for all. The Rift Wardens were given the honour of launching the initial strike upon an outpost in the southern deserts.

Chaplain Morius was given responsibility for eradicating this initial target. To gain control of the desert base and it's supplies, he deployed by light shuttle for surprise assault. Such would not be detected or at least not considered a military threat and this plan worked perfectly. 

Morius decided not to wait but to surge forth and concentrate his forces against the vehicles on patrol, taking out those potential threats immediately, and after their defeat, the space marines encountered light resistance on their way into the base. Operation: Starfall was a complete victory and with this base of operations captured, the chapter deployed their forces here and contacted the main fleet to let them now the planetary assault can begin.

Capture of Emperor's Landing - Antares

 

Points: 2000.

Deployment: Ground War.

Primary Objective: Pitched Battle.

The liberation of Emperor's Landing marked the end of the conflict for the vital space port, and gave the Rift Wardens the means they needed to deploy the rest of the chapter. The Custodies began a hurried evacuation of their defences and pulling back towards the Antares capitol hive city to the west. Arthurus celebrated this victory and declared it the beginning of the end for the golden host on this world.

Resource Grab - Santorini (Badlands)

Points: 1400.

Mission: Mana From Hell.

When reports came in from the wasteland traders that various valuable mineral deposits had been discovered out in the deserts, Librarian Quarion decided to send task force Tantalus to investigate. There they discovered a surprise mining base overseen by their allies in the Custodian Brothers, However, attempts to parlay were met by shot and psychic fire.

Following those initial shots, Quirin retreated his brothers to a defensive position extending away from the Custodian's position. The mining base was heavily fortified and looked to have been here for quite some time. It was easily defensible for the Custodians. A single track line ran west towards a fortified settlement about 30 miles away. This was where the Custodians were shipping the mineral ore they recovered.

Task force Tantalus launched a calculated strike against the mining base, where were easily, all too easily, cut down by the Custodians and their psychic sister allies. Quirion lost too many brothers in the engagement but failed to secure even a single chunk of the ore. He ordered a fall back to the city for now while he contemplated what the Custodians might be doing here in secret and unannounced.

Operation: Retrieval - Santorini (Industrial Zone)

Points: 1000.

Mission: Data Drip.

With Nivis Prime Mining Conglomerate having been taken over by the loyalist Rift Wardens, other nervous consortiums became very nervous. They made contact with a war band of renegade Blood Angels, and in exchange for regular Cryo-Stallite payments. they requested that the Blood Angels protect their holdings. This led to an engagement in the Industrial Zone, as the Rift Wardens and the renegade space marines went looking for data collection units.

The Blood Angels had the upper hand in the initial clashes. Librarian Quirion took his main forces and began their advance on the ruined structure that housed the data cores, but were beaten back twice by Blood Angel resistance. They eventually broke through, cutting down many enemy marines in close quarters combat in the streets. The Blood Angels commander, a librarian in gravis armour, pulled his remaining battle brothers back to regroup.

The Rift Wardens quickly took the now deserted area and awaited reinforcements. However, even with eradicator squads scouring the adjacent sectors, they made slow progress against enemy strongpoints and casualties were soon mounting. Quirion's forces were ambushed in the alleyways and although they fought their way clear, the loyalists took casualties. The Blood Angels then launched an attack directly against the Rift Wardens, supported by dreadnoughts. The Rift Wardens held out for the night until the anti-tank units could be brought in to engage them.

The Blood Angels librarian knew how important this skirmish was and drew up plans to push the loyalists out of the zone completely and allow his own techmarine's to recover the data. However, Librarian Quirion's tactical mind was superior and under his guidance, the Rift Wardens counter attacked and stalled the Blood Angels operations.

This was the crucial moment in the night's engagement. It allowed the Rift Warden scouts the opportunity to access the data cores and retrieve as much as they could safely get and then detonate the remaining devices, leaving the Blood Angels empty handed.

Blood On The Streets - Dirkden Hivesprawl

Points: 2000.

Deployment: Opposing Forces.

Primary Objective: Duel.

This skirmish was a week of significant street battles in Dirkden that marked the beginning of the fall of Dirkden. Six months after the Vigilus crusade started, the cult members were now ready to overthrow their Imperial oppressor's. 

The Rift Wardens and the remaining Astra Militarum joined the battle, but once the cult assaulted the Imperial command bunkers through the sewers and supply runnels, the loyalist resistance soon fell apart. Chapter Master Arthurus ordered an evacuation of the hive, deeming it presently lost to the Emperor's Grace.

The Fall of Mortwald - Mortwald

Points: 2000.

Deployment: Front Line.

Primary Objective: Relic Hunt.

The Fall of Mortwald is described in Imperial Records as a series of engagements around the hive city which ultimately led to the Imperial defenders abandoning the city. The Rift Wardens sought to evacuate as many Astra Militarum as they could while taking any available munitions and supplies as could be carried. Ultimately, the Death Guard forces present proved too strong and the space marines abandoned their human allies to an horrific end at the tentacles and plagues of Grandfarther Nurgle. 

Initial Assault - Calypsos

Points: 2000.

Deployment: Ground War.

Primary Objective: King of the Hill.

Calypsos, a fallen hive world within the Osirian Triangle. The planet fell to chaos forces a decade ago and as lain abandoned ever since. Recently rogue trader vessels passing the system have detected ramshackle ships in orbit and numerous shuttle craft ascending and descending from the surface. The Rift Wardens have been reassigned from their patrol routes to investigate. What they found was a hive of gretchin ships stripping the planet for anything valuable

 The space marine flotilla engaged and destroyed most of the gretchin ships with ease. A few escaping into a nearby asteroid field. A task force of battle brothers under the command of chaplain Leonidis descended by drop pod into the heart of the gretchin activity. The orbiting ships then commenced an orbital bombardment of the gretchin held sites.

The main reason for this was to assist the battle brothers deployed against the gretchin forces present, and to shock the enemy into submission. If the enemy sustained multiple casualties then that was a purging of the xenos.

Ultimately, the attack did little against the sheer number of gretchin present in the vicinity as there was always more to replace any losses. However, Leonidis' attack did pave the way for further space marine landings and a purge of the alien menance.

Dawn Of War - Santorini (The Barrens)

Points: 1000.

Mission: Strut Your Stuff.

The desert planet of Santorini is a fringe world of the Imperium. Governed by outdated corporations who owned the legitimate planetary governor through money, bribes, and threats. Santorini has one mega hive built into the slopes of a long dead volcano along the equatorial deserts. Mining gangs and Mechanicus cults mine this vast peak and the lava tubes below for rare and exotic minerals and compounds. The largest corporation is the Nivis Mining Consortium and Inquisitorial concerns had drawn them to call upon the Rift Wardens to seize control of the company and the planet fully for the Imperium.

A small force, designated Task Force Tantalus, led by librarian Quirion was dispatched by drop pod to initiate a tactical and literal hostile take over. The drop pod smashed through the plexiglass canopy of the boardroom and the space marines opened fire on any who attempted to flee or put up a fight. Within minutes the site was secured. But it was not to last.  Aerial patrols over the outer barrens, the last inhabitable zone before the desert reclaimed the original settlement, detected Death Guard forces moving through the streets. Quirion left a skeleton force and relocated his marines to engage these unexpected enemies. It soon became obvious that the plague marines target was a water supply station and that they sought to contaminate the hives drinking water.

The water supply station came under swift attack. Quirion made contact with the orbiting strike cruiser requesting reinforcements as hostile forces had been uncovered. Those incoming forces were turned back by flights of Heldrakes that burst forth from the warp in low orbit. Without these immediate reinforcements, Quirion's marines were on their own and low on munitions.

Quirion dispatched scouts to capture and hold the water supply station but they ultimately failed. The Death Guard, supported by a horde of plague zombies managed to reach the site following the deaths of the scouts.

Task Force Tantalus, although determined, struggled to withstand the enemy assault due to limited forces and supplies. The Death Guard were able to cut off escape routes and effectively isolate the area from easy evacuation. Intense close quarter fighting and the supernatural resilience of the enemy, eroded the space marine operation. However, the losses inflicted by the Rift Wardens was enough to just about prevent the Death Guard from being successful. Without the means to adequately contaminate the hive's water supply, they fell back into the Barrens. Task Force Tantalus had little option but to fall back as well.

Resurgence - Dirkden Hivesprawl

 

Points: 2000.

Deployment: Opposing Forces.

Primary Objective: Duel.

At dawn just days after the evacuation of Direkden Hivesprawl, in the shadowy hours before the sun arose, the Genestealer Cult attacked the last force of Imperial defenders along the outer wall. The Cult attacked with thousands of cultists armed with a variety of a small arms and machine guns, a couple fast moving buggies. The defenders were a handful of Rift Warden squads and a lone Knight..

Initially the attack was repulsed with heavy losses. One by one the Cult's vehicles were destroyed or rendered immobile. The Cult regrouped and attacked again later that morning. This time, the Cult attacked in multiple locations, wearing down the space marine resistance, cutting through the defences and engaging the Rift Wardens in close combat offensives. With such few forces left, the Rift Wardens found their position untenable and the survivours were evacuated, finally leaving the Hive in the hands of the cult.