Crusade of Endless Joy v Hive Fleet Typhon for the non-Imperium Despoiler of Astheneia Title

### Non-Imperium Campaign Title Game

Slaanesh and Tyranids/GSC have mostly been tenuous allies through the whole of the campaign. And maybe haven't fought 1:1 since the initial scrimmage single-elimination tournament for control of the Campaign Kickoff Artifact.

What will the fate of the Astheneia system will be at the end of the final Season 5 of the Pandemic-Era campaign? Word Nerd that I am, I must now tell everyone that Astheneia is a word in Greek meaning a lasting sickness or malaise, and I liked how it sounded.

Whether the Imperium wins overall will be determined by other games, mostly by the net results of all the big Tyranid Invasion battles, and of the Chapter 5 final rematch of Slaanesh v Sororitas.

But if the Imperium loses, and the Astheneia System passes out of Imperium Control at the end of our Narrative,

then the result of this game will determine whether Astheneia tears it's own materium apart into a Daemon World and essentially passes into The Other Universe,

Or if the Primus Hive on Astheneia first becomes the victorious production center of the rapidly spreading Swarm of Hive Fleet Typhon, and then eventually left behind years or months in the future, stripped of all biomass and useful chemicals and radioactives, down to bare rock after the departure of the Tyranid Galactic Infection!

## Gaping Maw

The flagship of Typhon is a titanic star beast resembling a combination megalodon and manta ray. It’s outer layer is covered in thick ironite barnacles. Hundreds of “Lamprey” class bio-ships cling to its underbelly. The tail is tipped with a bio-electric EMP projector cannon that can render other void ships powerless. Dubbed “Gaping Maw” because of the beast’s huge mouth that spasmodically opens and closes, jaws distending outward to snatch anything in front. The fleet has resumed its slow, sub-light journey towards Astheneia after Typhon devoured a rival hive fleet. The Tyranids lay in stasis chrysalis of secreted resin that protects them during the long voyages. This is the time they are most vulnerable.

The Emperor’s Children sneak aboard, plant the macrophage bombs, fight some monsters and win glory! Or be erased from History….

1500pts each. Deployment and objectives see cards. Only vehicles allowed are walkers. Special characters encouraged.

Tyranids deploy first. EC have first turn.

Shadow in the Warp and Synapse cover the entire battlefield

Toxic Miasma: Inside the bio ship, the atmosphere is deadly to anything not protected against it. (Tyranids, Demons, anyone in power armor, and vehicles are immune)

At the start of every turn the unit rolls a d6. On a 2-5= d3 mortal wounds, 6=3 mortal wounds.

Resin Chrysalis: Tyranids that are not in reserve have the following rules during the first turn only: Light Cover, Heavy Cover, and Dense Cover. Also, the benefits of the chrysalis are lost if they move in the first turn.

## Slaanesh Narrative for Chap 5 First Half

The Ancient Heresy-Era Strike Cruiser, now twisted and grown into an apex predator of Immaterium Sea of The Warp, *The* *Endless Joy,*

Swims up slowly and carefully alongside The Gaping Maw! The Endless Joy is hiding inside the alternate dimension of the Warp as it, a wily predator of the Empyrean Sea, passes, slipping between the dozing outer picket ships at great distance, then gives a wide berth around the slumbering void-combat-capital-ships, it slides... ... ...at dead stop speed through the Sea of the Warp, only occasionally kicking itself along, until it pulls up to ever-so-gently dock against a spot, as far away from the dozing Lamprey boarding ships, as could be coasted into. It comes to a rest in The Warp at a spot corresponding to the realspace location of the outer hull/hide of the Gaping Maw.

The Daemons of Slaanesh with Zelamine on the bridge of the Endless Joy project and maintain a magical warp field during the dead-stop-coasting docking maneuver. The field of Slaanesh Warp Magic projected (Warp Magic ECM-equivalent) by the many powerful Daemons on the bridge keeps the Endless Joy hiding just slightly around the curvature of reality, so that the Shadow In The Warp of Hive Fleet Typhon never falls upon it. This conceals their approach from the slumbering cold-transit Hive Mind of Hive Fleet Typhon and the Gaping Maw.

When the Crusade of Endless Joy bursts out of The Warp and into The Materium alongside the hull/hide of the The Gaping Maw, the jig is up! Psychic alarms sound, and the Hive Mind startles into rapidly expanding awareness of what is going on! Background slumbering field projection sensor nodes, and the Gaping Maw itself, react instinctively to the boarding action, waking up the rapid response units, and the utility units that had been on shift or were slumbering the lightest. But the deep sleep of most of the embarked fighting units and monsters of Hive Fleet Typhon keeps them from responding immediately, and the bombs are almost all planted before the main counter-boarding forces of the Hive Fleet can begin their coordinated attack!

So the Crusade of Endless Joy's boarding party is able to stealthily eliminate a few sentries and most of the awakening response Tyranid units, as the Noise Marines plant the Macrophage Bombs at sensitive locations within the mother ship of Hive Fleet Typhon.

The Macrophage Bombs are first rapidly carried on-board attached to the walker assault vehicles of the CoEJ, and then planted by the powered armored Noise Marines on short timers at the critical spots, and then defended by the whole incursion force. The beachhead on the Gaping Maw into our universe was expanded, and the path through the living ship cleared, by the Unified Slaanesh Daemons, who concealed the EC and spread a chaotic havoc within the living mother ship, meaning that by the time the Gaping Maw and the Hive Mind of Hive Fleet Typhon realized exactly where the macrophage bombs are planted, the last of the bombs will have been set!

So that the Emperor's Children boarding party only needs to hold the locations of the planted bombs for a few more minutes, until their detonation becomes inevitable, at which time the Slaanesh Daemons withdraw back into The Warp, providing cover to Zelamine and Her boarding party, until the Endless Joy uses it's famous Warp-Enhanced-Teleportarium to whisk the EC boarding party back aboard, into the belly/hold of the Endless Joy, where the victory party is being prepared by the slaves and familiars of the Heroes of The Crusade of Endless Joy :-D

Thus, progressive scoring for the 4 objectives (critical Macrophage Detonation Sites) over 5 rounds, scoring at the end of each player's turn, determines victory and the title of Despoiler of Astheneia!

Can the Crusade of Endless Joy's decapitation strike on the mother ship of Hive Fleet Typhon allow enough time for the Daemons remaining in the Primus Hive City to open and stabilize a Warp Tear to create a new Daemon World?

Maybe if the Macrophage Bombs go off at the critical spots inside the Gaping Maw, it will look kind of like a larger version of the melting effective of the whitespikes in the passable but not great Amazon Prime released move, The Tomorrow War? Cool looking aliens and alien fighting action was the on the only things done well in that movie.