Battencian Sieges

## The Battencian Sieges

Battencian Heralds First Company Armorial

The **Battencian Sieges** was the first recorded campaign conducted by the Battencian Heralds Chapter, leading the combined forces of the Zylos Subsector, against a large Force of Chaos which comprised of both the Word Bearers and the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion against the vitally important Zylos Sub-sector.

## Summary

The Battencian Sieges was the baptism of fire for the Battencian Heralds Chapter. A minor Warp Rift opened in the Zylos Sub-sector and a large Force of Chaos, lead by the vile Word Bearers and Thousand Sons Traitor Legions, attacked the sub-sector. After 30 years of war, and some initial victories, the Chaotic forces brutally beat the Imperials, and split up. The Word Bearers laid siege to Battencia, and the Thousand Sons besieged Estrillon, the homeworld of the Angels Tempestus. The Siege of Battencia lasted for five years, and after the final Chaotic assaults were broken and the besieging forces annihilated, the battered Heralds took to the Warp, arriving just in time, alongside the Angels Tempestus reinforcements, to relieve Estrillon. The war's final five years were spent chasing down the Heretics, and annihilating the Chaos cults left behind by the Word Bearers wherever they could be found. The Angels Tempestus disagreed with the Ordo Hereticus' methods of mass purging to get rid of these cults, and an intense diplomatic situation ensued. The Heralds were divided on what to do, but after Battencian Heralds Chapter Master Kyudor Albexus intervened, they began to aid in evacuating innocent civilians facing the Inquisition's wrath. Tensions have since cooled, especially with the ascension of a former Inquisitorial Acolyte to the rank of Chapter Master.

## History

One of the main reasons the Battencian Heralds Chapter was founded was to protect the Zylos subsector after a noted increase in heretical activity. Small Chaos warbands began to operate in the area, and several cults needed to be repressed. Fearing something larger, the Chapter was founded. That something larger came in the year 350, when a warp rift opened in the sector, disgorging a large Chaos force headed up by elements of the World Bearers and Thousand Sons. The PDFs and SDFs in the immediate vicinity of the breach were overrun before help could arrive. Those from systems that didn’t immediately neighbor the rift were able to organize a solid defense as elements of the Battencian Herald and Angel Tempestus chapters arrived.

### The Battle of Triton

The Hive World of Triton saw the first major battle of the war. The Angel Tempestus’ 2nd, 3rd, and 6th companies, as well as the Battencian Herald’s 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 8th companies saw action, in addition to PDF and Imperial Guard elements. The fleet around the planet retreated, hiding in an asteroid field within the system and allowing the Heretics to begin landing their troops. Upon landing, the forces, consisting of a vanguard of World Bearers backed up by Thousand Sons sorcerers and mass amounts of cultists, immediately had to deal with the defenders as intense anti aircraft fire and Imperial Air elements. Lightnings and Storm Hawks did considerable damage to the landing forces before defensive fire saw them off.

After the invasion force had disembarked, fierce fighting began outside several of the planet’s hives.The planet’s capital, Hive Antilles, saw fierce combat. It was defended by the Battencian 1st and 3rd, as well as the Angels' 6th company. At the gates of Hive Antilles, after a preliminary bombardment, the attack began with mass waves of cultists, raised by the World Bearers from those initial systems. They rushed Imperial positions in their thousands, only to be felled by mass lasgun fire from the supporting Guard regiments and supporting fire from Guard and Astartes armor. Near the Hive’s Southwest corner, a breach was made as cultists streamed into the Imperial lines, storming the trenches and fighting brutally against the Guard with whatever they had.

The World Bearers moved up to exploit this and turn the main line’s flank, but they were halted by a heroic charge by the Battencian Heralds, with Captain Barnon Dariam distinguishing himself by leading the charge and slaying several World Bearers in the ensuing melee. Seeing their vanguard demolished, the World Bearers withdrew and again bided their time for the main assault. They came with the last wave of Cultists, engaging the main line, manned by the Battencian Heralds. The two Astartes units exchanged fire at extremely close range, with many casualties being inflicted on boths sides. The World Bearers stormed a bunker on the outskirts of the line, and occupied it after driving out the Heralds within, members of the 3rd company’s 5th and 8th tactical squads. An unknown number of World bearers occupied the bunker, but based on after action reports, half a company is a common estimate.

The bunker was linked to several other bunkers by underground tunnels, and from there on to the main line. Then, however, Word Bearers hesitated and did not push to capture the remaining bunkers. This was a crucial mistake as the Heralds set up heavy weapons pointed down the connecting tunnels. When the World Bearers eventually did try to push the next bunker, they were cut down in a hail of heavy bolter and plasma fire. The Word Bearers, despite their inability to advance, held their position.There was a fierce firefight between the World Bearers in the bunker and the Battencian Heralds. The Word Bearers poured withering fire onto the main Battencian line, but they responded in turn and World Bearers were forced to duck away from the vision slits as bolts flew in.

The main assaulting force used the bunker as cover to consolidate and stabilize their forces which had initially been forced to make a mad dash over open ground. Imperial artillery was called down onto the bunker, and this dispersed those Word Bearers who had amassed outside. What remained of the Main force continued to fire into the Battencian ranks until casualties forced a retreat. All that remained of the assaulting force was the Bunker. With artillery seemingly having no effect, the Battencian Heralds rounded up five squads of the First Company, including its Terminator squad, and sought to breach the bunker. Three squads, including the Terminators, assaulted through a hole blown in the bunker walls by a melta bomb, and the other two forced the underground tunnels.

Chapter Master Kyudor Albexus personally led the former assault, and Captain Helvelicanus Cobus of the First Company led the latter. The above ground assault occurred first. The Veterans suppressed the heretics as the Terminators moved up, securing the melta bombs then blowing a hole in the bunker. The World Bearers poured fire into the breach, and even the Terminators were battered as they entered. Flamer and assault cannon fire shredded the nearest World Bearers, but the Veterans were for a while prevented from pushing in. Some of the World Bearers set to guard the underground tunnels were drawn up by this hellish commotion, and this left the tunnel under defended. The heavy weapons in the tunnels fired a salvo, and then the Veterans of the First Company rushed forwards. The World Bearers still below were mauled by their advance, and many of them were killed. Those remainders withdrew into the bunker proper, and with the attention of the World Bearers split, the above ground assault force went streaming into the bunker. The World Bearers put up a valiant defense, but they were in the end slain to the last man. Upon seeing their key forward position eliminated, the World Bearers withdrew their forces.

Meanwhile, the Thousand Sons had hit the Angels Tempestus, around the area of the breach formed by the Cultists. The Thousand Sons force was low in number, but amongst them were powerful sorcerers who dealt a staggering blow to the Angels with wicked Warp attacks. The Angels too at one point appeared stretched to their limits, but as the vile Sorcerers, who had moved into the open, moved to strike the fatal blow, the Angels Tempestus' Raven Riders swooped down upon them and ravaged them, dealing a cutting blow to the Thousand Son’s strategic capability. These mobile air cavalrymen then slammed into the rear of the main Thousand Sons force, forcing the shattered Heretics to flee back to their ships and flee.

### The Tide Turns

Despite the success on Triton, the casualties had been heavy. A considerable Imperial Guard garrison was left behind and the Loyalists advanced, pressing into Traitor systems. This would be the beginning of a long series of protracted engagements, and, after a decisive battle at the planet of Leanas, Chaos forces would gain the upper hand and force the Imperial forces back. After a time advancing into the Zylos Subsector, the Chaos forces split. The Thousand Sons element moved to Estrellon, while the World Bearers made hastily for Battencia. Both chapters fought valiantly, but gave ground, by 845.M41, both Chapters’ home worlds were in the sights of Chaos.

### The Siege of Battencia

When the World Bearers arrived over Battencia, 7 Heralds companies, all accept the 6th, 7th, and 9th companies, were present guarding the planet, as well as several Imperial Guard regiments. The World Bearers began a fierce orbital bombardment, but the planetary shields held. The World Bearers descended to the planet, only to find the vast majority of the population holed up within the Herald’s fortress monastery. They besieged the Monastery and a fierce artillery duel erupted as mounted weapons attempted to neutralize the World Bearer’s heavy artillery. Scouts making nighttime raids also helped with this, planting melta bombs before slipping into the night. This stalemate lasted for 5 years. Then, Battencia’s capital city, Holan, came under direct assault, and for the first time the Heralds sallied out to meet the World Bearers. 4 companies entered the city and, with supporting Guard elements, fought a brutal street to street battle that lasted for a month and a half. In the end, the Heralds held and the heretics were repulsed from Holan. Then, they prepared to launch an attack on the World Bearers siege lines.

Seeing this grave threat to their flanks, the World Bearers took desperate measures, and pulled a ship into low orbit. A Destroyer sized vessel, it concentrated all its firepower onto the fortress monastery. Eventually, it's crew crashed the ship, but it brought down the Monasteries shields. Seeing the desired effect, they launched an all out assault. They met fierce fire from the walls, but the Heretics brought up the last of their artillery to suppress the weapons long enough to get on the walls.

Their main attack hit an area defended by the First and Eighth companies. It was a great battle as steel clashed upon steel, with Astartes desperately fighting to repulse the Heretics. Kyudor Albexus, wielding a power sword and a bolt pistol, fiercely fought amongst his men, slaying many of the Heretics who came towards him. A Dark Apostle came upon him, and the two dueled as Terminators and Astartes clashed around them in a swirling mass of explosions and blood. As the Dark Apostle brought his Crozius down upon the Chapter Master, Kyudor reached out, catching the Crozius and, with a mighty pull towards him, plunged his blade into the Heretic’s chest. This decapitation blow shook the attack, and the World Bearers withdrew. The Eighth company, despite their weariness from the battle, took to their jump packs after them, sparing no traitor.

As the last World Bearers were slain, the Heralds could only take but a moment to relax. The Angels Tempestus too had been under siege upon their homeworld of Estrillon, and the Heralds at once set out to relieve them. A task force consisting of the Second, Eighth, and Tenth companies were at once dispatched to repulse the Thousand Sons. The remaining Heralds set out to assault World Bearer positions elsewhere in the system, and then beyond. The Sixth company would spend some time ensuring the area had been fully purged of corruption.

As the Battencian Herald relief forces reverted from the Warp on the edge of the Estrillon system, they met up with Angels Tempestus reinforcements, the Chapter’s forces that had been campaigning elsewhere in the sector had returned to help defend their home. In a holy rain of steel they arrived at the last possible moment, slamming into the Thousand Sons’ rear line as the defenders launched an all out assault on their front. Drop pods and Thunderhawks landed literally on top of the Heretics, and the comparatively fresh Battencian Heralds, along with the additional Angels Tempestus and other Imperial forces, decimated the Heretics, falling them like wheat before a scythe as the two chapters fought side by side.

With the main World Bearers thrust being broken at Battencia, and the main Thousand Sons thrust being broken at Estrellon, the two sides made quick progress, overrunning the heretics, who’s numbers had now been reduced past the point of any real effectiveness, as fast as they could set up base defenses. By the end of 390.M40, the Zylos subsector was declared free of major Chaos forces.

### Aftermath

Casualties for the Imperium had been grave. Entire Imperial Guard formations had been wiped out, and local fleets had taken considerable losses. The Heralds lost some 30% of their numbers in the war.

The Inquisition moved in to assist the main Imperial forces in purging the Chaos corruption left behind. They did things in a distinctly Inquisitorial manner, purging any population suspected of Corruption. This led to a dispute on the Hive World of Helicarnus when the Inquisiton purged several PDF forces that exhibited no signs of corruption and had fought alongside the Astartes. The Angels Tempestus and their Chapter Master Gelasius Tyranis protested this, but the Heralds fractured as to what to do. Kyudor Albexus joined the Angles in their protest, as did part of his men. Other parts of the Heralds endorsed the actions of the Inquisition. The Angels Tempestus and parts of the Heralds chapter then went on a campaign of evacuating at risk civilian populations who exhibited no corruption. The Heralds were less zealous in this than their counterparts, understanding when a population had been tainted beyond repair. Billions died to the Inquisition's postwar purge of the Zylos Subsector. The Chapter and the Inquisition were at odds for some time over this, though the succession of new Chapter Masters, some of whom were more friendly to the Inquisition, has dulled this.