Perils of the Verge

The Invasion of Moracre

Far out on the Eastern Fringe lies Moracre, a long time Imperial Agri-World, she lays secluded from most other Imperial worlds and close to the Damocles Gulf. Despite this she saw little fighting during the Damocles Gulf Crusades as the Tau saw little gain from taking such a planet. All this was about to change. 

An area of space long cut off from the rest of the Galaxy which had come to be know as the Verge lay just to the Galactic South-West of Moracre and as the Warp Storms dissipated the Imperial Governor Lucius Sulla saw a chance to improve Moracre standing in the Imperium.  He petitioned for Moracre to be a staging point in the exploration of the Verge.

Unfortunately for Governor Sulla, Aun'O Tul of the newly established Sah'iro Sept had come to the conclusion that if the Imperium were to make a move into the Verge they would do so from Moracre. As the Tau were interested in the Verge as well  and he could not leave his northern flank unguarded A daring raid was planed where the bulk of Sah'iro's contingent would assault the planet and destroy as much infrastructure as possible leaving the Humans unable to make any moves into the Verge or against the under guarded flank of Sah'iro.

The Sah'iro Contingent under the command of Shas'O Kais'ka swept into the Moracre system uncontested. The Kor'vattra quickly established space superiority as the few Imperial Monitors quickly fell to the massed railgun and ion cannon fire.  

The Hunter Cadres descended quickly upon the outskirts of the capitol city  meeting little resistance, until a Space Marine Company from the Angles of Vengeance Chapter with a small contingent of Gray Knights were able to rally the Imperial forces to Maracre's Defense. And Lieutenant Colonel Leto Hoffman is able to dispatch an Imperial Fist Armored Company to the Eastern flank of the invading Tau forces.

These reinforcements hammered away at the advancing Tau  Armored Interdiction Cadres and the Broadside Teams trying to limit the Tau's heavy fire power. The Tau force seemed to falter for a brief minute allowing the Warhound Titan Vulpus Rex to take to the battlefield.  Governor Sulla's spirits were bolstered and he believed that they had sized victory from the grasp of defeat. That was until the Tau Air Cadre with its AX-1-0 Tiggersharks, and the Rapid Insertion Forces made planet fall. 

A daring team of XV-9 Hazard suits armed with fusion cascades managed to disable the Vulpus Rex and the Tiggersharks quickly neutralized the Armored Company. The Rapid Insertion Forces under the command of Shas'O Cal'Da took advantage of the disorientated Angels of Death and were able to capture the Governors Palace, though Governor Sulla was able to escape unscathed. It didn't take long for the Tau to subdue the remaining Imperial Forces and send a message to Aun'tul in the orbiting Kor'vattra. 

Aun’tul sat in the command chair of his Manta Gunship as it crested the horizon of Maracre.  He though back to the event’s that had brought him to this far flung planet. The Sah’iro Sept had recently made great strides in securing this sector of space, as they began the exploration of the Verge.  Aun’tul under the advice of different commanders lead by Shas’o Kais’ka had decided that a fast and deadly strike against Maracre would secure their northwester flank from the Empire.                 

               

 Shas’o Kais’ka had led the Sah’iro Contingent with precision against the Gue'la  .  The planetary governor fled from the planet and the Tau had quickly gained control of the local manufacturing plants and local infrastructure.  Aun’tul now was directing his commanders in the defense of the new conquered planet.  As Aun’tul approached the planet his ship was able to detect an Imperial strike group entering the Maracre System.  It seems that the Tau’s easy defeat of the Gue'la  defending forces may be tempered by this new force that has arrived in system to help defend this region of space in the name of the Emperor. 

The Steal Raptor Space Marine Chapter had arrived at Maracre.