Battle for Korengal

A map of the Korengal system by the start of the battle for Korengal. Not to scale.

## Campaign

### Place

Korengal system of the Phrygian Sub-Sector, Segmentum Ultima

### Outcome

Pyrrhic Imperial victory, all traitor vessels lost or routed. Destruction of Tyhre and the Ipsus Shipyard.

Strength| Initially: * Four Phrygian Knight companies with 43 vessels and ~448 Astartes in total.
* Imperial Navy fleet with 32 vessels.
* Five million soldiers of the Korengal Imperial Guard Regiments and PDF.
* Over 30 billions Korengalians would be conscripted and participate in the war effort in the surface war in some way or another.

Second Phase:* Arrival of another three Phrygian Knight companies with 12 vessels.
* Arrival of 40 Imperial navy vessels from elsewhere in the Phrygian Sub-Sector, carrying over one million imperial soldiers.

Third Phase:* Arrival of the last two companies of the Phrygian Knights, with 6 vessels.
* Arrival of the Host of Aiakides' surviving 300 astartes, with 14 vessels.

(See Order of Battle below.) | * 3.000 Iron Warriors with 150 vessels.
* Ten million traitor militia.
* Dark Mechanicum forces, with 12 vessels, 100.000 skitarii and 21 titans.

The **Battle for Korengal** was a massive conflict that took place in the aftermath of the birth of the Cicatrix Maledictum. It saw an Iron Warrior armada invade and attack the homeworld of the Phrygian Knights Chapter, Korengal, and the Korengal System of the Phrygian Sub-Sector. Though greatly outnumbered, in terms of ships and Astartes, the forces of the Imperium held firm in Korengal, the Phrygian Knights being aided by billions of conscripted solders until the arrival of the rest of the Chapter and of the Host of Aiakides. The Iron Warrior fleet was thus defeated and their efforts in Korengal halted. By the end of the battle, the enemies of mankind had all been destroyed or routed from the system. However, the destruction of the Ipsus Shipyard was a severe blow to the Phrygian Knights and the Phrygian Sub-Sector capabilities, and only 145 Phrygian Knights and 100 Aiakidoi survived the engagement.

## History

### **Prelude to War**

A few years before the invasion, the latest Vigil to the Honoured of the Phrygian Knights took place, in 998.M41. The entire Chapter was mustered in Phrygia, the Space Marines joining celebrations and prayers with the civilians of all the 9 systems of the Sub-Sector, and the Silver-Shields recording, in the Stele inside the Hall of Remembrance in the Fortress of Aspetaea, the names of all Astartes of the Phrygian Knights lost since the last Vigil to the Honoured. As is tradition, after the gathering Warder Alketes chose one of his companies, this time the Stratonike Company under Silver-Shield Demetrius, to take the path of the Oathtaking and renew the oaths of the Chapter inside the Phalanx, the flagship of the Imperial Fists.

The rest of the Chapter separated in two expedition fleets, and they took to the stars, one fleet headed to investigate reports of Drukhari raids, and another to subjugate rebellious worlds. However, before they could reach their destinations, the Cicatrix Maledictum appeared, blocking the light of the Astronomican. Alketes then ordered the muster of the Chapter once again in Phrygia, as contact was lost all across Imperium Nihilus and warp travel was made increasingly perilous. All 8 companies of the Chapter, so except the Stratonike Company which was thought lost, mustered on Korengal by year 002.M42, and Alketes increased the efforts on improving the defences of the Phrygian Sub-Sector. Meanwhile, Jovi Norogna, Governor of Korengal, started a mass recruitment of soldiers to his Planetary Defence Force.

By this time, Warsmith Leokrates had his eyes fixed on the Phrygian Knights. The Iron Warrior had gathered three thousand traitor space marines under his warband, as well as ten million renegade soldiers of the Imperium, them now worshipping Chaos. Alongside him were elements of the Dark Mechanicum, with 12 vessels, a hundred thousand Skitarii, and 21 Chaos titans. After the appearance of the Cicatrix Maledictum, the Iron Warrior fleet followed its path across the Galaxy, eventually turning towards the Phrygian Sub-Sector. It is not known if behind their intentions there was anything other than the strategic goal of removing an important and stable position of the Imperium in the galactic far-east, which would further the goals of the traitors in the aftermath of the 13th Black Crusade and severely weaken the rag-tag forces of the Imperium in Imperium Nihilus. Nevertheless, it is safe to assume that the Phrygian Knights being sons of Dorn was another reason why it was the Iron Warriors in specific that assaulted their homeworld, and not another legion.

At the start of year 003. M42, reports had arrived to Warder Alketes of uprisings in the Hestea system of the Phrygian Sub-Sector, which were forcing the commitment of most of the Planetary Defence Forces of Hestea. The situation was aggravated when the orbital stations of Hestea were all captured by the rebels, and the planet became de facto under siege, all-out war happening in the hives. Though Alketes thought the most efficient response would be a rapid strike with the entire Chapter (again, except the Stratonike Company which was thought lost due to the Cicatrix Maledictum), a response which would, in his estimations, end the problem in less than a week, he was advised against it by his Agema Oracleos (equivalent to a Chief Librarian), a Phrygian Knight named Pythios. Indeed, all the Oracleos of the Chapter were foreseeing doom: a massive invasion fleet was about to strike Korengal. Each decision taken by Alketes meddled with the treads of fate, and the future of the Chapter and of the Phrygian Sub-Sector was unknown. Nevertheless, it was clear the situation in Hestea was bogging down important imperial military and navy elements that could assist the Phrygian Knights.

Therefore, Alketes decided to stay put and ready the defences of Korengal with six companies of the Chapter, while he sent Silver-Shield Kassandros with the Hestea and Kilikia companies towards Hestea. Effectively, Kassandros was made a Strategos of the Chapter: the commander of an expedition force with two or more Silver-Shields (these being Company Captains). Two days after the departure of Strategos Kassandros from Korengal towards Hestea, the massive Iron Warrior force was identified advancing to the Phrygian Sub-Sector. Then, word came to Warder Alketes of the plight of the Aiakidoi: after the Cicatrix Maledictum their entire Chapter had become becalmed in the warp for months, suffering from Gellar Field failures and Chaos daemon invasions. When they managed to leave the warp, their ships were all heavily damaged, with no warp travel capabilities and they found themselves in the Callatis system, a world long abandoned by mankind, its settlements and ruins having been mostly conquered once again by nature.

This was the dream that Agema Oracleos Pythios had, foretelling of the incoming doom of the Host of Aiakides. With the Chapter standing at a crossroads, the Phrygian Knight Synedrion (war council) was gathered and they discussed the situation. Most, like the Warder's Hypaspist, named Plutarkhos, thought that it would be best to concentrate entirely on Korengal, while a few others, including Agema Oracleos Pythios, saw that the benefits of rescuing the Host of Aiakides and gathering more reinforcements from outside would outweight the issue of further splitting the Chapter's forces.

"*Many things which cannot be overcome when they are together yield themselves up when taken little by little.*"
— Hypaspist Plutarkhos to Warder Alketes, during the Synedrion before the Battle for Korengal, M42
After much deliberation in the Synedrion, Warder Alketes ordered an expedition fleet of two companies, this one now under Strategos Thorax, to find and rescue the Host of Aiakides at all costs, and hence Korengal was left with just four Phrygian Knight companies. Crucial to this decision was the fact that Warder Alketes thought that reinforcements were absolutely necessary for his prospects on the upcoming battle for Korengal. The destruction of the Host of Aiakides would be a major setback for the Imperium and also spell doom for the Phrygian Knights themselves, this was certain. The Oracleos of the Chapter confirmed it: for them, the destiny of the Phrygian Knights was now permanently connected with the destiny of the Host of Aiakides.

WIth four Phrygian Knight companies, 43 Astartes vessels, five million soldiers of the Korengal Imperial Guard Regiments or Planetary Defence Forces, and 32 imperial Navy vessels, Warder Alketes prepared for the battle for Korengal.

### **Void Battle in Korengal**

The Iron Warrior fleet appeared a few days later, coming from the galactic west. It advanced as one in the direction between the worlds of Tyhre and Korengal. Warder Alketes plan was to stay with his fleet in orbit of Korengal, under the protection of the orbital defences and of the Ipsus Shipyard. There was not much else he could do, for the invasion fleet had 162 vessels in total, and he had only 75, counting his own and those of the Imperial Navy. His plan was to do as most damage as possible in the void battle, without allowing any Phrygian Knight to board the enemy vessels, for if they were outnumbered in terms of ships, it was clear they were even more outnumbered in terms of Space Marines. Meanwhile, Warsmith Leokrates advanced and assaulted Alketes' forces in Korengal with his entire force, not one ship splitting to move elsewhere. On the loyalist side, though Alketes had supreme command, the exact deployment of the fleet, its tactical movements and its priority targets were all dictated by Kubernetes Medeios, captain of the Indutiomarus' Revenge, the flagship of the Phrygian Knights.

The void battle of Korengal was long and eventful, with the Phrygian Knights' vessels doing their most to stay out of boarding range. Thus, as the Iron Warrior fleet advanced, cutting through the orbital defences, the Phrygian Knights vessels retreated, and alongside them went those of the Imperial Navy. One by one the orbital defences fell, until Warsmith Leokrates had taken control of the Ipsus Shipyard itself. With this, Alketes ordered the full retreat of all imperium vessels out of Korengal's orbit to Partros Secundus. However, all Phrygian Knights under Alketes embarked on their transports and withdrawed to the Fortress of Aspetaea, except the Kubernetes (Ship Captains) of the Chapter and three squads each inside the two battleships. With the protection of the fleet few transports were destroyed, and over 400 Phrygian Knights would guard the Fortress of the Chapter for the upcoming surface battle.

Seeing this, Warsmith Leokrates sent his faster ships to block the retreat of the Phrygian Knights' vessels. The Iron Warriors boarded several cruisers of the Chapter, as well as the Spear of Dorn battleship. By now, each vessel was by itself, and many ships were lost. Three cruisers of the Phrygian Knights were scuttled by their own Kubernetes so that they woudnt be captured by their foes. These explosions gave respite to the rest of the fleet and hundreds of Iron Warriors perished, and the bulk managed to retreat. However, the Spear of Dorn had its engines damaged and it was boarded by five hundred Iron Warriors. In the ensuing fight, they managed to kill Kubernetes Krateros before he could scuttle the ship. Of the 15 Phrygian Knights that had been ordered to defend the battleship, 2 were left alive, retreating into the bowels of the massive ship without the Iron Warriors realizing it.

With this great prize, Warsmith Leokrates divided his forces for the first time. 50 ships were sent to chase the surviving Phrygian Knights and Imperial Navy vessels in their retreat to Partros Secundus, while 20 ships were sent to Tyhre. Given the losses taken in the void battle, this left 62 ships to bombard Korengal and offer support for the invading army. Before the invasion commenced, however, Warsmith Leokrates decided, as an act of insult, to use the Spear of Dorn battleship as a spear, sending it with maximum speed into Korengal's atmosphere, aimed at the Fortress of Aspetaea. All Iron Warriors had been evacuated from the vessel, and it plunged into the atmosphere. Watching from the fortress, Alketes had no choice but to cry havoc at what fate had in store for him and his Chapter.

"For Dorn and the Emperor, brother!" Exclaimed a Phrygian Knight named Phillipos.

"You were right. We'll doom billions, but we'll give the chance for the Chapter to save the Sub-Sector. That alone is worth it. Press the trigger." Replied Xenophon.

"Clench your Teeth!" Cried both of them, and the Spear of Dorn suffered a massive explosion to its port side as the ship descended in Korengal. The explosion broke the ship in two, and both parts were no longer headed to the Fortress but each to the Hives of Korengal to the east and south of it. As they crashed into the hives, billions died crushed or due to the massive impact waves that sent millions of buildings crashing down, the waves reaching over 1000 kilometers away from the point of impact.

The fortress, however, was mostly unscathed. After the dust, wind and ground had settled from the impact, the Iron Warriors started their invasion. One Terran month had passed since the invasion fleet had appeared on the edge of the system. During this void battle on Korengal, the Iron Warriors and its Dark Mechanicum allies lost 30 vessels in total, while the Phrygian Knights lost 12 vessels (1 battleship, 4 cruisers and 7 escorts) and the Imperial Navy lost 22 ships. The Phrygian Knights lost 60 Astartes and the Imperial Military lost 3 million soldiers, while the Iron Warriors lost 400 Iron Warriors (most lost in the capture of the Ipsus Shipyard and in the explosions of the 3 Phrygian Knights cruisers scuttled), the Dark Mechanicum lost 20.000 Skitarii, and the Renegade Militia lost 2 million soldiers.

### **The Iron Warriors land on Korengal**

What followed was the siege of Aspetaea, Warsmith Leokrates choosing to humble the sons of Dorn and plunder the Fortress and home of the Phrygian Knights. While the Fortress in the isle of Aspetaea was bombarded from orbit, the forces under Leokrates landed all around the continental landmass surrounding the isle, them forming a perimeter several hundred kilometers long. Leokrates next move was to secure landing zones for the Chaos Titans. However, as the Hives of the planet had occupied all the continental landmass near the Fortress, and as the ocean separating the isle and the continent of Medeas was too deep, it was decided by the invaders to focus their efforts on the securing of the Hives closer to the coast and to the isle. By this time, Governor Jovi Norogna had decided to take command of the Korengal war effort (except that which was related to the Phrygian Knights). Seeing over 20 billions of Korengalians lost due to the Spear of Dorn, he ordered the movement, all across the world, of all forces towards the expected frontline near the isle of Aspetaea. All able-bodied men and women were asked to join the war effort, and as the Iron Warriors had landed, fighting sprung up in the Hives surrounding the isle, though it was easily brushed aside by the traitor space marines.

Meanwhile the 20 ships that had been sent to the civilised world of Tyhre reached its defenseless orbit. Around 10 billion humans lived in the planet and there were no notable military assets outside of some bunkers and outposts. Captain Assund, commanding around 200 Iron Warriors, ordered an orbital bombardment with conventional weaponry on the main settlements of Tyhre. Satisfied after hours, he finally gave the command, and the planet was bombarded by virus bombs. Assund's fleet would spend days bombarding the planet with the Life-eater virus, them making sure no one in the surface escaped the wrath of the Iron Warriors. As a result, all 10 billion humans died and Tyhre became a barren world, a lifeless rock.

With this first task done, Captain Assund moved in the direction of the Agri-world of Korinth, with the intent of repeating what he had done to Tyhre. Meanwhile, Captain Fulkehart with 600 Iron Warriors and 50 ships continued chasing the surviving Phrygian Knights fleet of 31 vessels (1 battleship, 7 cruisers and 23 escorts) and the Imperial Navy fleet of 10 vessels. Overall command of the Imperium forces in the void had passed to Kubernetes Medeios.

### **Second Phase: Battle near Korinth**

1.200 Iron Warriors had landed on Korengal, alongside 6 million renegade soldiers and 60 thousand Skitarii. In orbit, manning Leokrates' ships, the captured orbital stations and the Ipsus Shipyard, remained 600 Iron Warriors, 2 million human soldiers and 20 thousand Dark Mechanicum Skitarii.

One by one the Hive cities were secured by the invaders. However, any stable and continuous frontline was impossible to achieve, for the wreckage of the Hive cities ensured that the combat occured corridor by corridor, destroyed building by building. The Planetary Defence Forces of Korengal had been well equipped, as far as PDFs go, and day by day hundreds of thousands were arriving near the frontline. Iron Warrior casualties were minimum, almost none, but Skitarii and traitor humans were being lost on every advance. Indeed, the perimeter around the isle of Aspetaea was so long that the Iron Warriors could not be everywhere with a concentrated force, and so it fell to the traitor humans to secure it, while the traitor Space Marines conquered the Titan landing zones and made sure that the Phrygian Knights in Aspetaea did not attempt a sally.

Despite the valiant efforts of the Korengal Planetary Defence Forces, the Iron Warriors could not be swayed from their course. From the Fortress of Aspetaea, the Phrygian Knights did their best to keep busy as many enemies as they could, firing from special positions into the traitor perimeter a hundred kilometers away.

Meanwhile, Captain Assund moved towards the Agri-world of Korinth. Its population was around one million, the planet feeding Korengal with its exports, and as with Tyhre, it was mostly defenseless. The Iron Warrior plan was to force an engagement on the surviving Phrygian Knights and Imperial Navy fleets under Kubernetes Medeios with the threat of exterminatus on Korinth. The fleet under Assund would then attack from one side and the fleet chasing the loyalist vessels under Captain Fulkehart would attack from the other. By now, the loyalist fleet had already moved on from Partros Secundus to the system's east, as that planet's faster orbit (in relation to Korengal) would lead it closer and closer to the besieged capital of the system and to the bulk of the traitor fleet.

However, Captain Assund's fleet was faster than all the rest and it reached Korinth much quicker than the retreating fleet could engage them. Indeed, Kubernetes Medeios' fleet was still near the orbital path of Patros Secundus. Again, Assund bombarded the capital of the world with conventional weaponry, killing thousands. It was in this moment that a new fleet was detected by their sensors, coming directly to them from the galactic east.

Strategos Kassandros, Silver-Shield Demetrius and Silver-Shield Therseus had arrived in the system with the Kilikia, Stratonike and Hestea companies, respectively, and with 12 Phrygian Knights vessels as well as with 40 Imperial navy vessels carrying over one million soldiers. They had engaged the Alpha Legion in the Hestea System of the Phrygian Sub-Sector and mustered all forces that could be found from the other systems of Phrygia. Assund then chose to withdraw from Korinth immediately and join with Fulkehart's fleet, moving through Kubernetes Medeios' ships and engaging them in the process. Battle in the void was thus restarted, 70 traitor vessels against 93 loyalist ships. The battle was a chaotic mess, the imperial military reinforcements of over one million soldiers being sent to board and occupy the unsupported Iron Warrior space marines in their vessels (as their allies were all either in the surface of Korengal, in Leokrates' fleet, or dead). Slowly, the Phrygian Knights thus had the upper hand, the Indutiomarus' Revenge flagship and the Kontos battle-barge taking a heavy toll on the enemy. As defeat was certain, Captain Fulkehart ordered the retreat towards Korengal and the hunters now became the hunted. The Phrygian Knights focused their fire on the engines of their enemies, separating their vessels from the pack.

As the battle reached near the orbit of Partros Prime, and thus near to Korengal, the Phrygian Knights disengaged. The Chapter had lost 7 vessels out of 43, and the Imperial Navy 36 out of 50 vessels. The traitors, meanwhile, lost 50 vessels out of 70, and the 20 remaining mustered with Leokrates' 62 ships. Thus, what remained in the system were 82 traitor vessels against 50 loyalist ships. The Iron Warriors had also lost about 500 space marines in the explosions of their vessels out of 800 that were with Captain Fulkehart and Assund's fleets, while the Phrygian Knights lost 50 Astartes out of, approximately, 202, as most of those ships that had been destroyed were those mostly unmanned: those that had retreated from Korengal with just their human crew and their Kubernetes. The human soldiers were not so lucky, and they suffered extreme casualties. Only a hundred thousand were left alive out of the 1 million that had joined Strategos Kassandros' fleet.

The Iron Warriors had no intel on how many Phrygian Knights were under Strategos Kassandros' command, and so Leokrates decided to remain focused on the surface of Korengal, not planning to split his fleet any further. Soon, all of his Titans had landed and were firing upon the Fortress of Aspetaea, damaging its shields. Strategos Kassandros then decided that he could not stay inactive, but he and Kubernetes Medeios knew that if battle was joined between the entirety of both fleets, the Phrygian Knights would be doomed. Thus, he decided to reinforce the imperial forces on the surface of Korengal through Thunderhawk transports coming from the other side of the planet, away from the Fortress and the Iron Warrior fleet. Chosen for this task was the Stratonike Company under SIlver-Shield Demetrius. Its strength was around 30 Astartes only, as the Company had been depleted in the Anabasis of Stratonike (999.M41-003.M42), in the Uprising on Hestea (003.M41) and indeed in the void battle that they had just joined. Still, this Company was the only one of the Chapter that had crossed the Primaris Rubicon, and so its 30 Astartes were Primaris Space Marines.

The Company was delivered by one of the faster frigates of the Phrygian Knights, and they crossed the world of Korengal, eventually setting up their positions in the wrecks of the Hives to the east of the Fortress of Aspetaea. There, Demetrius had one main objective to achieve, given by Kassandros: to bluff his numbers and make it seem so that five Phrygian Knight companies were with him, instead of just 30 Astartes of a single Company. To do this, before the Stratonike Company had left Strategos Kassandros' fleet they had switched their Company markings and four other Space Marines of the Company were given Silver-Shield shoulder-pads, helmets and many relics that were gathered inside the Indutiomarus' Revenge, the flagship of the Chapter.

Once they were ready for battle, the Stratonike company made hit and run attacks, hoping to draw as many Iron Warriors as they could away from the Fortress of Aspetaea. The wreckage of the Hive ctiies assisted in clouding their numbers, for, as said, there was no frontline. Each Iron Warrior squad was by itself, and the Phrygian Knights split in groups of two Astartes, them doing as many attacks as they could on the enemies from vantage points. As soon as it became clear to the Iron Warriors that there were possibly five hundred Primaris Phrygian Knights in these hives, Leokrates sent 700 of the 1.200 Iron Warriors in the surface, under the command of Captain Kydrean, to destroy the forces under Silver-Shield Demetrius. Indeed, it was thought by the Iron Warriors that the two companies under Strategos Thorax were active in Korengal, and yet they werent in the system, while it was also thought that the Hestea and Kilikia Companies were also there alongside Demetrius' forces. However, they were still in the fleet under Strategos Kassandros.

Thus thinking that the Phrygian Knight fleet had been severely weakened and was possibly only manned by the Kubernetes of the Chapter and humans, Captain Fulkehart decided on his own to attack Strategos Kassandros' vessels, who was then positioned in orbit of Partros Prime. Fulkehart thought that Warsmith Leokrates' passiveness, in relation to this loyalist fleet, was a weakeness, and he proclaimed that he would capture or destroy the entirety of the loyalist fleet, which was now thought unmanned by the Phrygian Knights. 20 ship captains with 350 Iron Warriors followed Fulkehart. Effectively, Leokrates knew that it did not matter if Fulkehart won or lost: if he was succesful, Leokrates would have to deal with a rival self-proclaimed Warsmith, and if he lost, important assets of his fleet would be destroyed. Thus, Leokrates' fleet was left with 62 vessels and 550 Iron Warriors (of the rest, 1.200 were in Korengal, 400 had died in the initial void battle, and another 500 had died in the void battle against Strategos Kassandros. The 350 under Fulkehart adds it to the total of 3.000 Iron Warriors).

### **Battle over Partros Prime**

Captain Fulkehart had a bold plan, making sure to signal his challenge to Warmsith Leokrates to all Iron Warriors. Success, indeed, would weaken the Warsmith grasp over his warband. With just 20 ships, Fulkehart advanced towards Strategos Kassandros fleet of 50 vessels. The Iron Warrior Captain plan was to waste no time getting over boarding range to the enemy vessels, and then to board each and every single of the 50 ships. With his 350 Iron Warriors, this would leave just one squad for each ship. As it was assumed that they all were only guarded by humans, a major victory was thought to be at hand. Nevertheless, Fulkehart knew he would lose ships until his fleet could get close to the enemy, so speed was of the essence.

Strategos Kassandros led his fleet and ordered them to stay out of boarding range. Kubernetes Medeios, the oldest Phrygian Knight alive and holding his post for near a thousand years, once again was, effectively, the commander of the fleet as Strategos Kassandros trusted in his mastery of the void. As the 20 ships got closer, they started getting fired at and soon many of the Iron Warrior vessels were destroyed. However, all power was given to the engines in the Iron Warrior fleet, and they managed to close the distance, boarding torpedoes being set loose. The Phrygian Knights were more than ready however, and battle commenced in the belly of their ships. When it became clear that there were many more Phrygian Knights than expected, the traitors realized that they had walked into a trap. One by one, the squads of the Iron Warriors were destroyed in the Phrygian Knight vessels. Though in total they outnumbered the Phrygian Knights in the 2 Companies under Strategos Kassandros, the sons of Dorn were concentrated on the battleships and on the strike cruisers. As each boarding party was destroyed, those Phrygian Knights on these vessels moved with haste towards the other ships that were still contested. Assisting them were the surviving 100.000 soldiers of the imperial military and many Dreadnoughts of the Phrygian Knights.

Thus, though Fulkehart's forces outnumbered the loyalists, they were doomed. Many had been lost before the boarding commenced, and after it many were trapped fighting against Phrygian Knights with local and relative number superiority in favour of the Phrygian Knights. By the end of battle, not a single one of the 20 Iron Warrior ships survived, and all 350 space marines had perished. Fulkehart's own squad had boarded the Indutiomarus' Revenge flagship, and soon they were ambushed by 40 Phrygian Knights and 3 Dreadnoughts. Assailed from all sides and with no cover, none survived the crossfire. Of the loyalists, 50 Phrygian Knights perished in total, plus most of the Dreadnoughts, and near the entire imperial military force was lost. Many of the smaller ships were also lost, captured by the Iron Warriors and then destroyed by the loyalist fleet, or scuttled by the sons of Perturabo. Thus, the Phrygian Knights lost 8 vessels out of 35 and the Imperial Navy 13 out of 15. Therefore, now Leokrates had 62 vessels, while the loyalists had 29.

By now Captan Kydrean had realized that there were only a few Phrygian Knights fighting against him, and he informed Leokrates of such. His order stood, and he encroached upon the Stratonike Company of the Phrygian Knights. After months of fighting, Silver-Shield Demetrius ordered the retreat from the hives, the surviving 6 Primaris Space Marines going by themselves to increase the odds of survival. The Stratonike Company had inflicted over 100 losses to the Iron Warriors in their ambushes, but of all 30, only a Phrygian Knight named Antigonos Gonatas made it out of the Iron Warrior encirclement. Demetrius himself was slain by Captain Kydrean, after the Phrygian Knight had challenged him to a duel, proclaiming himself to be the last survivor while hoping to give time for the other survivors. Only Antigonos Gonatas lived to fight another day.

Meanwhile, battle waged on in the traitor perimeter. In these months, the Iron Warriors had lost 200 space marines in exchange for the billions of the Korengal PDF that they had slain. Indeed, not an inch was given by the traitors, and instead their control of the wrecked Hives increased ten-fold. With the destruction of the Stratonike Company, Leokrates turned his gaze to the Fortress once more, for his Dark Mechanicum allies informed him that its shields had fallen to the attacks from the Titans.

With a small opening being achieved on the Fortress, over 800 Iron Warriors attacked the first breach. Defending there were over 400 Phrygian Knights under Warder Alketes, including the Korengal Company under Agema Silver-Shield Esteias. The Phrygian Knights were ready, and the Fortress had many defences, secret passages and traps. Thus, Leokrates ordered the Titans to open further breaches. With the jamming of their communications, there was no vox contact between Warder Alketes and the fleet under Strategos Kassandros. In spite of this, the Strategos learned of the situation of his kin in Korengal due to the psychic efforts of Agema Oracleos Pythios, whom was defending the Fortress alongside the rest of the Chapter.

Strategos Kassandros remained thoughtful for a moment, as Silver-Shield Therseus urged them to attack the fleet.

"*Think of Pyrrhus, brother. Do not allow pride to cloud your judgement. The whole of life is but a moment in time. It is our duty, therefore, to use it, not to misuse it.*"
— Strategos Kassandros to Silver-Shield Therseus, after the void battle over Partros Prime during the Battle For Korengal
They had awaited in orbit of Partros Prime for too long, watching from afar the Iron Warriors plunder Korengal. Kassandros then decided that an all-out attack, as Therseus wanted, would indeed occur, but with the main intent of bombarding from orbit the Chaos Titans, and therefore, with their destruction, make sure that no new breach could occur for a time. At the least, Kassandros thought, the loss of the titans would delay the Iron Warriors.

Therefore, Kassandros fleet advanced as one towards Leokrates forces. With just 29 ships and approximately 150 Astartes fighting 62 ships with 550 Iron Warriors, there was no hope of victory. All efforts would be directed, instead, to the destruction of the Chaos Titans, and once that was done the plan was to retreat with all surviving ships from the orbit of Korengal. In addition, another obstacle to the Phrygian Knights would be the captured orbital stations and the Ipsus Shipyard.

### **Second Void Battle on Korengal**

Kassandros' fleet went across Leokrates' larger force. As they moved in orbit of Korengal, the Chaos Titans started being bombarded from above by the two Phrygian Knight battleships and many of the cruisers. Seeing this, Leokrates focused his fire on the guns of the Phrygian Knights. Many ships were lost, while others were made derelict. Hours later, of the 21 Chaos Titans, 15 had been destroyed by the orbital bombardment, but the Iron Warriors had the upper hand and Strategos Kassandros ordered a full retreat. The Phrygian Knights were repelling several boarding parties on their ships, and the Kontos battle-barge had its engines inutilized and was captured in a stable orbit by Korengal. Many of the remaining cruisers of the Chapter were lost as well, destroyed by the Iron Warrior ships.

In this situation, at the climax of battle, the Auger Arrays on both sides detected two newly arrived fleets, each coming from opposite directions. One was a World Eater fleet with 14 vessels, and the other was Strategos Thorax fleet with 6 vessels, including the Bellerophon battle-barge, and two Phrygian Knight companies. Both of them advanced with haste towards Korengal to join the battle.

### **Third Phase: Reinforcements**

Strategos Kassandros then decided to muster with the incoming forces, and his fleet was chased by the entire Iron Warrior fleet, as Leokrates knew the battle was won.  By the time the fleet under Thorax made contact with the fleet under Kassandros, the Iron Warriors were on their tail and battle was restarted. Moments later the World Eater vessels joined the battle, their ships starting to move through the Iron Warrior force in order to attack the Phrygian Knights.

"*Leave the Indutiomarus' Revenge to me*"
— Proclaimed Leokrates to the flagship of the World Eaters
The World Eaters did not reply, but it was thought as confirmation enough when all around their fleet boarding torpedoes were launched, and none went in the direction of the flagship of the Phrygian Knights. Indeed, the World Eater fleet had spread out through the Iron Warrior vessels, and the torpedoes were sent near Leokrates' ships in route to the Phrygian Knight vessels. It was at this time that all the 14 World Eater vessels turned slighty, their engines achieving maximum power, and they rammed with full speed into 14 other Iron Warrior vessels, them caught offguard. Leokrates had only the time to shout "Brace for Impact!" before his own flagship was rammed by the flagship of the World Eaters. Though his vessel survived the impact, most of the others were not so fortunate. Meanwhile, the boarding torpedoes of the World Eaters changed direction, and instead they attacked other ships of the Iron Warriors that had not been targeted by the ramming action. Of the 14 World Eater ships, 8 were lost in the impact but taking with it 8 Iron Warrior ships, while one of their battleships was scuttled soon after, taking with it several cruisers under Leokrates.

As the boarding parties made contact with the Iron Warriors, they finally realized who manned the World Eater fleet: the surviving 300 members of the Host of Aiakides Chapter, and they fought with fury unmatched against the sons of Perturabo.

With hope rekindled by this unexpected turn of events, the Phrygian Knights under Kassandros plunged themselves into the fray. Silver-Shield Therseus boarded Leokrates' flagship, him moving with most of his Astartes towards the bridge, while a smaller group went to sabotage the engines. The Iron Warriors inside the flagship outnumbered the Phrygian Knights however, and Therseus would be killed by Leokrates himself, his group not managing to reach the bridge. Nevertheless, a squad managed to sabotage the engines, and though they soon perished, they had done their duty. Next, Warlord Brennus of the Host of Aiakides captured a cruiser of the Iron Warriors, while the Bellerophon battle-barge under Strategos Thorax destroyed another plus many light cruisers and escorts. Strategos Kassandros then ordered all loyalist forces to move away from the derelict flagship of the Iron Warriors, as to move the battle away from the range of its still active guns. All vessels complied, and the loyalist forces started moving back towards the orbit of Korengal. Seeing this, Leokrates had no choice but to order all of his ships to continue attacking the enemy, thus nullifying, as an asset, his own flagship and his only battleship. He and a few Iron Warriors were evacuated from it, transferred to one of his still standing cruisers.

The battle went on as the fleets moved, and on Korengal the orbital stations and the Ipsus Shipyard, captured by the Iron Warriors, opened fire again on the Phrygian Knights. However, that was not enough to turn the tide back to his side, and Leokrates thought hard on his next course of action: would he abandon the thousands of Iron Warriors still in the surface of Korengal?

Leokrates chose to stay and fight to secure the survival of his Space Marines. Though the battle in Aspetaea had reached inside the Fortress of the Phrygian Knights, as the surviving Chaos Titans had blasted several more breaches, an immediate retreat and evacuate order was sent through. Thus, the Iron Warrior effort in the void was to safeguard the transports coming from or to the surface, and this made slightly easier the void battle for the Phrygian Knights. Many hours later, 500 Iron Warriors had been succesfully evacuated, while 100 perished in the journey. Of the renegade militia and the Dark Mechanicum Skitarii that were on the surface, not a single made back to the fleet, nor any of the Chaos titans still standing. There were still 300 Iron Warriors in Korengal, and many were still attacking the Fortress of Aspetaea, thus keeping occupied the Phrygian Knights under Warder Alketes. The focus of the space battle then turned to the Ipsus Shipyard as Kassandros, leading all the imperium forces in the void, sought to recapture it. Already attacking it, he would board the Shipyard himself once it was clear that Leokrates had landed there with a couple dozen transports from his cruiser. By now, any semblance of organization in any of the fleets was lost as all the forces had intermingled, and some loyalist vessels were manned by traitors and vice versa. In addition, the distance had closed in, the ships trading broadsides side by side.

As Strategos Kassandros landed on the Ipsus Shipyard, Warlord Brennus left his captured Iron Warrior cruiser and boarded other Iron Warrior ships, his Aiakidoi capturing several. At the Shipyard, the Phrygian Knights had the upper hand and slowly it was recaptured by the Chapter, its defences halting its fire on the imperium vessels and instead firing on the traitors. Somewhere on it, Kassandros and Leokrates met in the chaos of battle, and they would duel. The Phrygian Knight Strategos dropped his foe, and his power sword went through Leokrates' chest, killing him in the process. Outside, the void battle continued until a massive explosion was felt. The Ipsus Shipyard had exploded, and it sent a ripple effect across the fleets, exploding several Phrygian Knight ships. Even so, the surviving Iron Warrior vessels were also caught in the impact, and many were lost. Be that as it may, Leokrates' sacrifice and gamble had given time for the Iron Warrior fleet to remuster and withdraw. Not a single soul inside the Shipyard survived, and Kassandros was killed instantly.

As dozens of ships were lost, the battle was halted for a moment as every crew staggered. Warlord Brennus of the Host of Aiakides, with his captured Iron Warrior vessels, and Strategos Thorax closed their distance with each other in an effort to concentrate their forces. The Iron Warriors had in the meantime managed to evacuate a few more of their soldiers from the surface, and their fleet, now under Captain Kydrean, retreated from Korengal. 12 vessels (7 cruisers and light cruisers, plus 5 escorts) out of the 62 that were in Leokrates' fleet were still operational, them carrying no more than 300 Iron Warriors and 8.000 skitarii with their Heretek Umber Scaryl. In addition, a hundred thousand renegade militia still survived in the invading fleet.

Of the initial loyalist fleet under Strategos Kassandros of 29 ships, 10 vessels (1 battleship, 6 cruisers and 3 escorts) were still standing, all being Phrygian Knight vessels, while of the fleet under Strategos Thorax, 4 ships (1 battleship, 1 cruiser and 2 escorts) survived the battle, and so only two of his escorts were lost in his fleet of 6 ships. Meanwhile, the fleet under Warlord Brennus was destroyed entirely, scuttled by the Aiakidoi or rammed into the Iron Warrior vessels. Around 150 Astartes of the Aiakidoi had survived out of 300, while only about 35 Phrygian Knights of those either under Strategos Kassandros or Strategos Thorax made out alive of this second void battle on Korengal.

With the retreat of the invaders in the void, Warlord Brennus and Strategos Thorax turned their attention to the surface of Korengal. Brennus advised Thorax to remain in orbit with the loyalist vessels, in case the Iron Warrior fleet returned. And so the 20 Phrygian Knights manned the 14 surviving ships and readied them in case of another void battle. Nevertheless, the ships were put to good use, and they bombarded the traitor perimeter around the Fortress of Aspetaea, destroying the remaining Chaos Titans and killing hundreds of thousands of the traitor militia. Next, Warlord Brennus with his 150 Astartes made a drop pod assault near the breach of the Fortress, while Warder Alketes attempted a sally.

### **Lifting the siege**

By now, only around a 100 or less Iron Warriors were still fighting in the breaches and around the traitor perimeter, and they found themselves with 150 Aiakidoi coming from one side and 170 surviving Phrygian Knights coming from the other, all the while they suffered an orbital bombardment from the loyalist fleet. Captain Belard Fehea of the Iron Warriors ordered a retreat into the wrecked hives, where they could take cover from the orbital bombardment, but his transports were soon destroyed. Thus, his forces were beached in the isle of Aspetaea, being attacked from near the coast by the forces under Brennus, and from the Fortress by the Phrygian Knights.

The combat was tough, and the Iron Warriors held until their last breath. A moment later, an all-out melee started and the bombardment stopped, the Host of Aiakides slightly gaining the upper hand. Once Warder Alketes managed to sally from the Fortress, his Astartes all took precision shots into the melee, and the Iron Warriors were quickly defeated as they were occupied by Brennus and his kin. Brennus himself had slain Belard Fehea, decapitating the Iron Warrior with his chainaxe.

The war waged on elsewhere in Korengal, for there were still a handful of Iron Warriors fighting in the hives, plus thousands of the renegade militia and some Skitarii. Be that as it may, a moment of respite was achieved in the isle of Aspetaea, and Warder Alketes and Warlord Brennus saluted each other. The Phrygian Knights had come to the rescue of the Aiakidoi in the Bloodbath on Callatis (003.M42), and now the honour was theirs.

Alketes then pledged, invoking the names of Rogal Dorn, Antigonos Kertes and the Emperor himself, an oath of eternal alliance with the Host of Aiakides, as long as they were steady in the path of righteousness. Brennus then pledged the same. In this manner, both Chapter Masters swore that no call of help would go unresponded. These pledges were henceforth referred to as the Oath of Alketes, to the Phrygian Knights, and as the Oath of Brennus, to the Host of Aiakides.

In the following months, all invaders would be hunted down and slain.

### **Aftermath**

Over 40 billion humans had died in Korengal and thousands of hive cities were destroyed. Therefore, the planet is still in the process of rebuilding a century later, around ~111.M42. The Aiakidoi surviving 100 Astartes eventually left the system and indeed the Phrygian Sub-Sector, taking away with them all the traitor vessels captured by the loyalists. Years later they would recover some of their vessels lost in orbit of Callatis, during the campaign that took place in that system in 003.M42.

Of the Phrygian Knights, only 145 were left standing, 35 under Strategos Thorax and 110 under Warder Alketes. With the death of Agema Silver-Shield Esteias, killed in the fighting inside the Fortress, Alketes promoted Hetairos Ariovistus of the Korengal Company to take his place as Agema Silver-Shield of the Korengal Company. Meanwhile, the Astartes named Antigonos Gonatas, sole survivor of the Stratonike Company, was made into its SIlver-Shield and is now responsible for its recovery. Hetairos Kleocharis of the Hestea Company was made its Silver-Shield due to the death of Silver-Shield Therseus, while Hetairos Eumenes of the Kilikia Company was made its Silver-Shield due to the death of Strategos and Silver-Shield Kassandros. Two other companies, Phila and Eurydice, also had two newly promoted Silver-Shields, Timandros and Neoptolemus, due to the death of Silver-Shield Balakros and Silver-Shield Kletus. Balakros, arriving with the Host of Aiakides and Strategos Thorax, died boarding one of the Iron Warrior vessels, while Kletus fell in the sally of the Phrygian Knights from the Fortress of Aspetaea at the finale of the battle.

Later, the Kontos battle-barge, that had been captured in an orbit by Korengal, was recovered, its damage being minimum and thus fairly easy to repair. Due to the loss of the Ipsus Shipyard, the Chapter's capabilites are severely diminished, and though a new Shipyard is under construction, it is still centuries off from when it will be able to construct cruisers and battleships. Therefore, only escorts have been gained by the Chapter since the battle for Korengal. Its 3 battleships (Indutiomarus' Revenge battleship, Kontos battle-barge and Bellerophon battle-barge), as well as its 7 cruisers are still suffering from injuries taken in this battle. Currenly, the Chapter also has 20 escorts, 5 being veterans of the invasion, while the rest were built in the one hundred years after it.

Currently, the Chapter is only operational in the Phrygian Sub-Sector as it regrows to its full strength. A couple of years after the battle, Custodians of the Emperor arrived with the Primaris gene-seed. All the surviving members of the Chapter would attempt to cross the Primaris Rubicon, except Antigonos Gonatas who had already done so during the Anabasis of Stratonike (999.M41-003.M42). Alas, Warder Alketes was one of the few who failed in their attempts, and the Chapter Master of the Phrygian Knights, a veteran of a thousand battles, died. With this major loss, Agema Silver-Shield Ariovistus thus became the new and current Warder of the Chapter. In his stead, he chose Silver-Shield Thorax (previously Strategos Thorax, but not anymore since there is no separate expedition fleet) to become his Agema Silver-Shield. An Astartes named Dromichaetes then set his stone, and he won the competitions to become Silver-Shield of the Lydia Company.

## Order of Battle

### Imperium of Man

**Initially:**

* Phrygian Knights under Warder Alketes, 43 vessels (2 battleships, 11 cruisers and 30 escorts).

Four Hypaspist, 43 Kubernetes.

Korengal Company under Agema SIlver-Shield Esteias, 100 Astartes.

Koile-Sigma under Silver-Shield Archamus, 100 Astartes.

Caria Company under Silver-Shield Polyperchon, 100 Astartes.

Eurydice Company under Silver-Shield Kletus, 100 Astartes.

* Imperial Navy under Admiral Mitron, 32 vessels.
* Korengal Imperial Guard Regiments under General Karel, 5 million soldiers.
* Korengal Planetary Defence Force under direct command of Governor Jovi Norogna, estimated to peak to 30 billion individuals.

**Second Phase, arrival of:**

* Phrygian Knights under Strategos Kassandros, 12 vessels (1 battleship, 3 cruisers and 8 escorts).

12 Kubernetes

Kilikia Company under Silver-Shield Kassandros: 82 Astartes.

Hestea Company under Silver-Shield Therseus: 90 Astartes.

Stratonike Company under Silver-Shield Demetrius: 40 Astartes.

* Imperial Navy under Admiral Luvan, 40 vessels.
* Imperial forces gathered from all over the Phrygian Sub-Sector under General Markhos, one million soldiers.

**Third Phase, arrival of:**

* Phrygian Knights under Strategos Thorax, 6 vessels (1 battleship, 1 cruiser and 4 escorts).

6 Kubernetes

Lydia Company under Silver-Shield Thorax, 30 Astartes.

Phila Company under Silver-Shield Balakros, 70 Astartes.

* Host of Aiakides under Warlord Brennus, 300 Astartes and 14 vessels (2 battleships, 3 cruisers and 9 escorts).

### Enemies of Mankind

Grand Battalion Commander: Warsmith Leokrates.

* Iron Warriors, 3.000 Space Marines and 150 vessels (1 battleship, 50 cruisers and light cruisers, plus 99 escorts and transport ships).

* Renegade Army under General Kerberas, 10 million soldiers.
* Dark Mechanicum under Heretek Umber Scaryl, 100.000 Skitarii, 12 vessels (5 cruisers and light cruisers, plus 7 escorts and transport ships) and 21 Chaos Titans.

## Casualties

### Imperium of Man

* Phrygian Knights under Warder Alketes. 1 battleship, 7 strike cruisers and 18 escorts lost.

Agema-Silver Shield Esteias of the Korengal Company, Silver-Shield Kletus of the Eurydice Company. 338 Astartes lost out of 448.

* Imperial Navy under Admiral Mitron, 32 vessels lost out of 32.
* Korengal Imperial Guard Regiments under General Karel, 4.9 million lost out of 5 million.
* Korengal Planetary Defence Force under Governor Jovi Norogna, 20 billion lost.
* Phrygian Knights under Strategos Kassandros. 1 strike cruiser and 3 escorts lost.

Strategos Kassandros of the Kilikia Company, Silver-Shield Therseus of the Hestea Company. 188 Astartes lost out of 209.

* Imperial Navy under Admiral Luvan, 40 vessels lost out of 40.
* Imperial Forces under General Markhos, 1 million lost out of 1 million.
* Phrygian Knights under Strategos Thorax. 2 escort lost.

Silver-Shield Balakros of the Phila Company. 92 Astartes lost out of 106.

* Host of Aiakides under Warlord Brennus

200 Aiakidoi out of 300 lost. 2 battleships, 3 strike cruisers and 9 escorts lost.

**Total Phrygian Knights losses:** 618 out of 763 Astartes lost. 1 battleship, 8 strike cruisers and 37 escorts lost out of 4 battleships, 15 strike cruisers and 42 escorts.

**Civilian losses:** entire population of Tyhre, 10 billion humans, lost; 40 billion civilians lost in Korengal; 100 thousand civilians lost in Korinth.

### Enemies of Mankind

* Iron Warriors, ~2.700 lost out of 3.000. 1 battleship, 44 cruisers and light cruisers, plus 94 escorts and transport ships lost.

Warsmith Leokrates, Captains Harald, Fulkehart, Belard Fehea and Assund.

* Renegade Army under General Kerberas, 9.9 million soldiers lost out of 10 million.
* Dark Mechanicum under Heretek Umber Scaryl, 92.000 Skitarii, 11 vessels (only a cruiser survived) and 21 titans.