Kronus

## Planet

### Tau

Approximately half the territory, including the planetary capital, is held by Tau forces loyal to Commander Farsight, commanded by Commander [weeabooname]. The xenos have control over most of the North and West of the continent and are well dug in, stymieing efforts by Imperial commanders to make significant gains.

Tau held territory includes:

The city of Or'es Tash'n (Asharis to Imperials)

### Orks

The Ork forces, mostly Evil Sunz led by Warboss [funnyname], manage to hold on to the heavily forested, mountainous region in the Southwest. Their hold on the territory is tenuous in places, but regular reinforcements from orbital elements have prevented either the Imperials or Tau from dislodging them. They build up their forces in well hidden redoubts, then come roaring out on their souped-up junk vehicles

Local feral Snakebite clans are dominated by the Evil Sunz Warboss, and additional specialist forces have been brought along in the form of mercenaries from the Blood Axes.

The Green Coast remains under effective Ork control

### Necrons

The Necron King Akhet-Ra holds out in a shrouded location somewhere in the peaks to the North of the Thur'Abis Plateau, controlling little territory but having sufficiently powerful forces to prevent their annihilation. They lost control of the tomb site of the Thur'Abis Plateau during the initial war of the Dark Crusade over a century ago, but have proven impossible to completely wipe out.

### Imperials

Imperial forces hold most of the East and South of the continent, including several key cities and military installations. Commanded by General [awesomename], the combined force consists of Astra Militarum divisions, Blood Ravens (led by Captain [sneakyname]), Adepta Sororitas teams, and Imperial Navy aerial assets. The Imperial defence lines are implacable thanks to decades of concerted fortification, but the available forces are stretched thin. The General Staff have been loathe to risk forfeiting territory by removing soldiers from the lines in one location in order to mass a concerted attack elsewhere.

Notable Imperial held locations include:

Victory Bay, location of the Imperial Capitol on the planet. Long-abandoned city that Imperial authorities have been gradually repopulating for several decades, though most of the population ends up joining the Guard and thus being quickly depleted again. Victory Bay is heavily fortified and almost functions as one gargantuan Munitorum base. Only human-controlled spaceport on-planet.

Deimos Peninsula, the site of a warp portal that may have been a presage of the formation of the Cicatrix Maledictum. Subjected to atomic hellfire by the Imperial forces due to the very ground itself being tainted by the Archenemy. The Tau declined to interfere with the scouring of the region and it is now a blasted wasteland, which is an improvement on the daemon-twisted hellscape that it was a century ago.

North Vandea: Site of several significant human settlements, including some rich mining and refinery facilities, though the region's main power comes from the Castellum Incorruptus, a modest fortress-monastery of the Blood Ravens. Though the chapter has ceased outward hostility to the mainstay of the Imperial forces, the region is still the subject of superstitions among the Guard and being posted to facilities near the Castellum is considered an ill tiding.

Thur'Abis Plateau: Though the region as a whole is not strongly controlled by any one faction, the Adeptus Mechanicus and Ordo Xenos maintain control of the catacombs from which the Necron forces arose all those years ago.

## System presence

### Tau

Somewhat limited by supply routes, the Tau vessels in the system play a cautious game, staying on the move thanks to their efficient sublight engines. The flotilla sticks together, outrunning the Ork and Imperial capital ships, and easily outgunning their foes' escorts. Though insufficient to maintain full control of Kronus' orbit, the flotilla is able to rendezvous with the occasional supply ship and make a swift pass by the planet to resupply the ground forces.

One Lar'Shi'Vre (Protector) Class cruiser

(+1 speed, -1 void shield, +1 turret rating; maneuver 15, detection 20; crew rating 50)

Two Kass'l (Orca) class Corvettes

(maneuver 25, detection 15; crew rating 40)

Tau ships doc

### Ork

Though the Orky forces on the ground are in somewhat poor condition, their void support is in significantly better shape. An Rok located at L2 repeatedly bombards the planet with janky torpedoes filled with orks, weapons, or both. The Rok is guarded by several ships, which together provide a sufficiently fearsome force to dissuade the other two factions from a direct attack. The Rok and attack ships belong to the Evil Sunz clan, while the two Kroozas are from the Blood Axe mercenary clan they're working with.

Kroozas have crew rating 40; Attack Ships and Rok have rating 30

Rok (p82 BK) with 2x Loads o' Gunz and 1x Torpedo Launcha; Kustom Force Field

One Terror Ship Krooza with prow Kannonz and Zzap Kannonz, plus Gunz Battery and Launch Bays port+starboard; squig pens + extra shield generator

One Kill Krooza with prow kannonz and 'eavy gunz, plus Gunz battery and 'Eavy Guns port and starboard; Dakka Control and Bigger Red Button

Three Attack Ships, all with prow 'Eavy Gunz and dorsal looted macrocannons; all have Red Paint Job (+1 speed)

## The Ground War

Once House Highdown took command of the ground forces, a plan of action was quickly formulated. Preparations were begun for an all-out assault on the Orks. Cornelius reasoned that, provided the Ork void presence could be dealt with, the Tau would be incapable of mounting a devastating attack without greater void support than they have available. Should the Ork fleet prove more robust than anticipated, or the Tau manage a sneaky resupply, a staged retreat from the Northern territories would lose the Imperial forces little in strategic terms. And if the Orks can be beaten through violence of action on both sides of the gravity well, the negotiating position with the Tau command will be all the stronger.

Two main targets were designated to be hit simultaneously - the heavily industrial city of Dalarus in the mountains and the port city of Bilboen on the Green Coast. The two cities, if successfully captured, will offer the Imperium commanding control over the Eastern part of the Orks' current territory, providing the basis for a thorough eradication effort focusing on the dense forests where the Orks are best dug in.

### Assault on Dalarus

Two Army Groups were sent to take the city, designated AG North and AG South. North contained approximately 500,000 soldiers including support staff and was tasked with securing the core of the city and advancing over the Grand Bridge; South was somewhat smaller at 400,000 personnel and was send to secure the outlying industrial areas to the South and taking the Bridge of Steel. Once comfortable bridgeheads were established, the two groups would use Chimeras and aeronautica to attack along the length of the river while armoured elements crossed using the main bridges along with secondary bridges constructed by engineering battalions.

House Highdown brought approximately two divisions' worth of troops, mostly infantry and relatively light armour, which were quickly integrated with various under-strength units in the Victory Bay region, bringing the ground forces directly under Highdown control to 100,000 - seven brigades for AG South and nine for AG North. More crucial than the Highdown ground forces, however, were the intelligence and void strike assets. Signals analysts and counterinsurgency specialists from The Bureau were seconded to ground units to act as force multipliers, while Fury Interceptors launched by the Allure proved decisive in securing air superiority.

The forces dedicated to the Dalarus assault, even moreso than the attack on Bilboen, were viewed as excessive by many in the Astra Militarum hierarchy. The decision to strike with such overwhelming force was not purely an issue of operational success; it was also intended as a propaganda victory - the millions of soldiers on Kronus had toiled for years without any great successes to speak of and a major breakthrough would doubtless raise their spirits. Such extravagant use of limited resources was not without cost, as it left the Imperial controlled regions substantially undermanned.