Blue Dawn

**This article, Blue Dawn, was written by YaBoiMikeHawaii. It may be linked to any page without asking for the author's permission.**

## Campaign

### Outcome

Imperial Victory

"*It's only when you can't back out of a contract that you realize the full extent of your mistake...*"
— Unknown Businessman from Battlement
The **Blue Dawn** is the defining event that created the Agents of Liberty and Emperor's Liberators as they are known today. This war shaped their values, personalities, and tactics. They would take to the galaxy with a unique, albeit controversial and dangerous outlook.

## Tau Forces

The Tau Empire had its usual array of forces present on Battlement during its occupation. These dedicated, well equipped and highly trained infantry formed the backbone of the Tau forces on-world. Their strategies and tactics were a rude awakening to the early Imperial rebellion, which would keep the rebellion on its toes for the rest of the war, even when they were reinforced by the Adeptus Astartes. The Tau's vehicles and equipment posed their own unique challenges for the Imperials.

There were also the Tau Battlesuit units of varying strength and size. These were the elite of the already powerful Fire Warriors, encased in large and highly advanced armor suits with devastating weaponry and extreme versatility. That is before the consideration that the men and women inside of these suits were already among the best Fire Warriors on Battlement. They were a physical manifestation of the Greater Good, and were often the bane of an Imperial's existence. They were the Tau's trump card in the ground war.

Then there were the auxiliaries. The Kroot were a savage race that helped fill the gaps in the Tau's melee capabilities. Their cannibalistic tendencies also allowed them to assimilate the preferable genetic qualities of the Imperial forces. The Vespid were airborne and highly maneuverable infantry that could get into the tightest corners and fight in the shadows just like the Agents of Liberty. They escorted Battlesuits and were excellent recon assets.

Especially important were the gue'vesa. The Battlement gue'vesa were there to show Tau propaganda that the Agents of Liberty didn't speak for public opinion on the planet regarding Tau occupation. But more than that, they knew the lands of Battlement as much as the Agents of Liberty, and could expose the very best hiding places the Agents had to use. Above all, they were human. Many gue'vesa were spies in the Agents of Liberty and divulged key battle plans and secrets that unraveled numerous resistance cells. Save for perhaps the Battlesuits, nobody was more important to the Greater Good on Battlement.

### Commanders

Kor’ro Sky-Reaper

Angelium Marcellus

Shas'O Yoon

## Imperial Loyalist Forces

The Imperial loyalist forces were made up of the Agents of Liberty when the war first started. Made up of idealistic revolutionaries and disgruntled former PDF, Guard, and Arbites on world, the Agents waged the war isolated from the greater Imperium for years. The exact capabilities of each soldier varied based on their background, but their dedication to the cause could scarcely be questioned. Outgunned and in some cases outnumbered, the Agents relied on hit and run tactics and guerrilla warfare whenever possible. Escaping the watchful eyes of the proverbial Big Brother was the only way to survive for much of the war, but even that wasn't enough. Against a well-trained and equally fanatical foe, their experience, equipment, and faith in the Emperor had to suffice.

The Astartes that would later make the Emperor's Liberators crash landed much later on. They shared the same combat capabilities and dedication to the fight as any Avenging Angel of the Emperor. Their abilities to fight, lead, inspire, and endure was absolutely critical to keeping the rebellion alive in its darkest moments. Pound for pound they could stand up to all of the Tau infantry up to and including the mainstay XV8 Battlesuits, while being able to adapt to the Tau way of war at a frightening pace. Combined with their already brutal shock tactics and methods inherited from the Agents of Liberty, and they were simply a game-changer.

Then there was the enigmatic Harbingers of Intrigue. This cult was one dedicated to the pursuit of all unknown knowledge and had their own, separate agenda. Their psychic might was a valuable asset that could not be ignored, and they were the key to sending a cry for help to the wider Imperium. These cultists varied in psychic might, but it was a wild card in the hand of the Imperials. The Tau, who had wholly convinced themselves of the folly of mysticism, had no answers or counters that science could provide. To virtually every Imperial on the planet, it was a blessing worthy of their faith in the Emperor. It would only dawn on the Agents and Liberators much later on that the Harbingers fought for Battlement not out of a sense of loyalty to the cause of liberty and the Emperor, but for their own dark purposes. A Tau victory would prevent them from being able to guide Tzeentch's 'blessings' to the planet and turn it into a Demon World...

### Equipment

Every vehicle available to the Imperial Guard was present on Battlement, although its numbers were extremely limited. The most powerful or useful vehicles were in quantities much too limited to provide effective support apart from full scale offensives, and the rest of the vehicles were completely incapable of effectively challenging the Tau way of war (these vehicles also didn't have the numbers to be considered replaceable anyway). Until Libertatum Primus and the Astartes arrived onto Battlement, the Agents of Liberty would have to rely on their infantry prowess.

These infantry were usually armed with 'Persuader' pattern lasguns or unique 'Bushmaster' and 'Colt' pattern Autoguns. Their body armor and helmets were visually representative of ancient Terran armies in the 21st century, but functionally performed similar to regular flak armor and helmets. The only exception was an increased protection against projectiles, but Tau forces didn't use such weaponry to begin with. The rarer 'Tier-1' Pattern of Carapace Armor was available in limited quantities, enough to be equipped to no more than 15% of the Agents of Liberty. Due to its rarity and a desire to be fair, Central Command gave this armor to only its best soldiers. However, a good 1/3 of the Agents didn't even have the luxury of having body armor or even a weapon. They had to scavenge off of dead Tau to hack the DNA locks on the Pulse weapons and Rail Rifles, as well as building improvised body armor from dead Fire Warriors and Battlesuits, if they could survive long enough to do so.

The Freeblade Knight later known as Libertatum Primus arrived on-world, armed with a Lightning Cannon, Lightning Claws, a graviton gun, and a missile launcher. This Knight alone could destroy dozens of Battlesuits, and nothing short of a horde or the strongest Tau Battlesuits could compete head to head. Primus would be worth his weight in gold.

When the Astartes crash landed, they would bring their highly valuable vehicles and weaponry to bear. The thunderhawks, land speeders, bikes, and other highly mobile or heavily armored vehicles were the most pivotal to the rebellion. These vehicles could provide the protection necessary for the Imperials to make a stand, or the mobility to keep up with the Tau.

### Commanders

Crispus Attuckus

Omega Ben Lucious

Davidius Clarkeson

Alexis Jonesson

Tedium Nugentus

## Quest for Liberty

Most would be forgiven for thinking Battlement didn’t have a chance when the Tau came to the recently-settled world. Ever the masters of subversion, the Tau exacerbated Battlment’s social, political, and economic issues. They turned people against each other to a point where civil war was one riot away. Their industrial sabotage devastated Battlement’s manufactorums and farms, forcing them to rely on the Tau for basic goods. Battlement’s democracy was rigged to allow the Exalted Ones, a pro-Tau political party, to win key elections. Accusations of election meddling were dismissed by the Water Caste, and those who came forward with said accusations mysteriously ‘committed suicide’ in the following months. The Exalted Ones branded themselves as the solution to Battlement’s problems, and functioned as a puppet government for the Tau’s interests. Over the next few years, the Exalted Ones persecuted any who refused to bend the knee, while giving a luxurious lifestyle to those who swore allegiance to the Greater Good. Battlement was trapped in a gilded cage.

At around this time, Alexis Jonesson’s vox-cast, ‘Information Warrior’, convinces a sizeable majority of the population to believe Angelium Marceullus sold out her people. Water Caste attempts to encourage gue’la to transition to gue’vesa by discouraging the backwards and intolerant Imperial Creed in exchange for the Greater Good, but by this point people’s minds have been made up. The Fire Caste, especially the ones from Ke’lshan and Vior’la, begin cracking down on the gue’la and enforcing order. More militarized crackdowns and aggressive surveillance become the norm. Eventually, the two respective classes of humans are forcibly separated by the Fire and Water Castes, with the gue’la being crammed into a region known as Mericae. With the complete elimination of civil rights in the gue’la populations, a famous weapons enthusiast named Tedium Nugentus begins hoarding weapons of all types. He’s wary of what happens when the population loses all means to resist Tau rule…

Chief among the people disarmed are the PDF and Arbites units of Battlement, since their loyalties belonged to the Imperium first and foremost. A sergeant named Davidius Clarkeson leads a few groups to clear the armories and give their contents to Tedium Nugentus before the Tau can get them. The entirety of the PDF and Arbites melt into Mericae’s sprawling cities before the Fire Caste returns to confiscate the wargear and retaliate against the former soldiers. In Mericae meanwhile, riots and protests become the norm thanks to food shortages and poor housing, general dissatisfaction, and miserable conditions. This leads to the Fire Caste initiating a full military occupation of the region.

The already hectic situation becomes a powder keg amidst rumors that the Tau were beginning culling operations of the gue’la to make room for more gue’vesa and solidify their control over Battlement. Regardless of the truth to these rumors, Alexis Jonesson ensures these are spread far and wide across the planet.The population is driven into an anti-Tau frenzy, and open revolution begins. The Agents of Liberty is formed by Crispus Attuckus, whose stated goal is to free Mericae and Battlement from Tau occupation. However, Attuckus is killed by the Tau in a protest. It was a massacre. Nobody knows who started the firefight, but this detail becomes irrelevant in the face of upcoming events.

The Agents of Liberty’s armed resistance is led by Davidius Clarkeson (General), Tedium Nugentus (chief armorer), Alexis Jonesson (head of communications), and Omega Ben Lucious (overall leader of resistance). This resistance group begins guerrilla operations against the Tau, as they seek to simply kill as many of their oppressors as they can and gather wargear. They soon realize they need volunteers, and begin efforts to expand their membership and wind the hearts and minds of Mericae and the gue’vesa. The Agents unfortunately begin taking heavy losses across Mericae thanks to increasingly brutal Fire Caste counter-revolutionary actions. A siege on the planetary governor's palace, the Pale Keep, is a failure that was broadcast across the entire planet by the Tau.

It becomes apparent that the Agents of Liberty are severely outclassed in training, technology, and tactics with only the slimmest margins of victory being attained in quick raids and guerrilla campaigns. The Agents are either forced underground or into the deepest and darkest corners of Mericae as they continued to wage their war against the Fire Warriors and their auxiliaries. The leadership of the Agents decide they need to try and convert human Earth/Fire Caste members back to the light of the Emperor for technology and techniques that can counter the Tau’s Battlesuits. Operation Plagiarism is the most famous of these efforts, where the Agents of Liberty were tasked with stealing technological secrets of the Tau to decipher exploitable weaknesses. Omega Ben Lucious himself also manages to get one distress call to a legendary Freeblade, known for his exploits alongside the Dark Angels against the World Eaters and Orks on Tarnis.

After a year, the new techniques are finally put to the test against the Tau in a general offensive across Mericae. Although the Tau Battlesuits experienced significantly higher casualties in their engagements, the offensive is a failure due to devastating casualties and must lie mostly dormant for two years. A small consolation is the amount of tech and weaponry stolen from the destroyed Battlesuits and Fire Warriors to a grateful Tedium Nugentus. Instead of open conflict, the Agents of Liberty sneak anti-Tau propaganda and evidence of Tau atrocities across the planet to gather more recruits and defectors. Priority is also placed on stealing any Tau weapon possible in order to bolster the anti-Battlesuit tactics. Some time later, the Freeblade finally lands on Battlement by sneaking past the Air Caste blockade. The Freeblade charges a steep fee for the services he is tasked with, as he will be a very busy man in the coming years.

The Freeblade makes his presence known in the Battle of the Plains. The Agents of Liberty sent forces to the plains of Battlement to gather foodstuffs and steal them from the Tau, but heavy resistance was encountered. The Tau drones alone exacted a heavy toll. Fire Warriors and even XV8 Battlesuits were later encountered, which nearly forced the Agents of Liberty out of the area entirely. The plains were flat and very open aside from the various crops and livestock, which made the Tau’s job that much easier. The Freeblade soon approached the area and the result was nothing short of a massacre. The much weaker Battlesuits were turned into metal coffins, either crushed by his graviton gun or electrified by his lightning cannon. A few pilots were even ripped apart by the Freeblade’s lightning claw. The battle is a rout for the surprised Tau forces, and the Agents now have food security for the coming years.

Meanwhile, Alexis Jonesson and Ronald Raegus are hard at work as they sneak into gue’vesa cities to spread their message in secret rallies and gatherings (as well as hacked broadcasts). The Earth Caste works tirelessly to suppress these broadcasts while the Fire Caste raids these broadcast centers. One raid nearly kills the two men, but they manage to escape before they can be surrounded entirely. With Tau forces hot on their heels, Alexis and Ronald take stock in the many precious minds they managed to sway back to the Emperor’s light.

Sometime later, the Freeblade pilot is tasked with protecting Alexis Jonesson as he starts a rally in Mericae, for the purpose of inspiring more recruits. Because of the opportunity to inflict heavy casualties on the personnel and leadership while inspiring fear, the Fire Caste launches a massive assault led by a Riptide and multiple other powerful Battlesuits. The Agents of Liberty's few tanks and technicals are quickly wiped out or forced to retreat, so the Freeblade takes up the slack and reaps a heavy toll with his missile launcher and graviton gun alone. His lightning cannon manages to electrify dozens of enemy infantry as well, and ends up single-handedly repulsing the brunt of the assault. His Knight is heavily damaged, but he emerges victorious and that much richer. Jonesson is forever grateful to the Knight.

In his own home city of Michigus, Benjamin Carsonius encounters an unknown ailment that is afflicting segments of Mericae’s cities. He discovers that it’s part of Fire Caste operations to cull the Gue’la populations to minimize Tau casualties. Benjamin and the Agents of Liberty on hand discover Tau pathfinders and Gue’vesa double agents spreading pre-programmed viruses that only harm those without Gue’vesa or Tau DNA and embedded ID chips. After brief but brutal firefights against these infiltrators, Carsonius interrogates Gue'vesa'ui Benedictus Arnoldsen and finds out how to cure the viruses before executing the traitorous human. Thanks to his quick thinking and newfound experience with biology, Carsonius saves 90% of the victims from a gruesome death. The Agents of Liberty, with their new weapons and tactics, take the fight to the Tau in Mericae as they fight their way through the various occupied cities. Despite heavy casualties, the Agents of Liberty manage to get the population to rise against the Tau and overwhelm them with sheer numbers. The cost however, is high. The Mericaen cities are in ruins, but at least they are free. The Agents of Liberty waste no time in consolidating these gains.

The Tau Empire will not let this stand. The Tau forces on Battlement form plans to retake Mericae and marshall their forces like never before. Propaganda manages to swell the ranks of gue’vesa while Earth Caste workers spend their overtime creating newer and deadlier machinery. Drones by their millions are also fabricated, for surveillance and harassment operations. Imperial convoys are returning at partial strength, soldiers are missing, and critical supplies are being destroyed. Areas that were previously considered immune to the watchful eyes of the Tau are discovered and raided. The Agents of Liberty know something is coming. Even the Freeblade lowers his fee. He tells himself that if more Agents can pay for his services he’ll make a better profit, but even he can only pity the dark days ahead...

Eager to retake the cities, the Tau Fire and Air Caste begin a massive operation to sweep through these cities and crush the rebellion before it gets out of control. The Tau battlesuits make massive gains as the Fire Warriors and their auxiliaries begin taking ground inch by inch. The Agents of Liberty in many places fight to the last man, desperate to cling to their freedom as they know that Tau retribution will be brutal. Hundreds of thousands are killed in the city of Neo Yorkson alone as the Agents are forced to withdraw from their former headquarters. The Freeblade completes a task given by the Agents of Liberty and receives his payment, but suddenly he encounters a group of Agents pinned down and on the verge of annihilation. Even though he wasn't paid, the Freeblade reluctantly decides to aid the pinned down Agents before they're killed by Fire Warriors. His Lightning Cannon fries the circuitry of an entire drone swarm in the nick of time, while his lighting claw acts as a scythe through wheat against vespid units. The Freeblade expects compensation at a later date. After seeing a series of massive explosions and plasma bursts in orbit, a gigantic ship can be seen hurtling to the ground in a fiery streak. The resulting explosion is as bright as a nuclear bomb, and the entire ground shakes for miles around. The Agents of Liberty are ordered to move in the direction of large capsules that also hurtled to the ground in various directions.

The Tau attempt a decapitation strike in the Appalachan Mountains, where the Agents of Liberty HQ is located. Fire Warriors and XV15s breach the perimeter multiple times and wreak havoc in the command center, hacking multiple files that contain sensitive data. Many Agents of Liberty are killed before the Tau invaders are finally pushed out of the complex. The nimble but powerful Battlesuits are eventually driven back after the timely arrival of the Freeblade, who was previously busy elsewhere. His graviton gun sweeps many Battlesuits off their feet and plummeting down the mountains into jagged rock formations. Those that can fly are shot down by his missile launcher. The Freeblade never requested payment after the mission, much to the surprise of Omega Ben Lucious.

The Agents of Liberty run into power armored men who call themselves the Adeptus Astartes. These Astartes had fought their way through various Tau Battlegroups, unknowingly saving the Agents of Liberty from a complete collapse thanks to months of crushing defeats. The astartes work with the awe-struck Agents of Liberty to find the massive Battle Barge that had crashed onto Battlement after a skirmish in space.

The Freeblade, inspired by a sermon from an astartes chaplain and a rally by Alexis Jonesson, pledges his aid to the Agents of Liberty. He takes up the name 'Libertatum Primus’. Much further away, Astartes who landed in drop pods attempt to fight their way through many Tau ambushes to regroup with their chapter, but their numbers are slowly dwindling.

Meanwhile, surviving Astartes and patrols by the Agents of Liberty run into each other. The Astartes are quickly able to put two and two together and discover these humans are fighting against these xenos, who the Space Marines have never encountered before. They also discover some of these humans are even wearing the xeno iconography and uniforms. The Space Marines pledge to assist the Agents of Liberty in their quest for freedom, and lead the Agents back to the crash site. They will need all the help they can get in the coming days…

280 Astartes and units from the Agents of Liberty sneak and kill their way through Tau forces. Ghostkeels, Broadsides, Stealthsuits, and XV8s launch brutal ambushes against the newly arrived Astartes, who were largely unaware of such units. Enduring heavy casualties they manage to push forward. The force marches into Mericae, the only continent on the planet free from Tau tyranny. This coalition reaches the battle barge crash site just in time, as a strike force led Broadsides, XV8s, and a Riptide begin to investigate the site. A massive battle nicknamed the ‘Battle of the Barge’ ensues. Long ranged attacks by plasma and missiles devastate the crash site and inflict heavy casualties. The Astartes and their allies dig in with whatever they can, and utilize all the weapons the crashed ship has to repulse the assault.

Most of the Tau are eventually killed and the crash site is preserved. The remaining 520 marines and tens of thousands of serfs and tech priests send out a distress beacon to the surviving Astartes. Whether by miracle or the Emperor’s benevolent hand, the battle barge crashed in Mericae, and the entire Astartes chapter eventually reunites. After assessing the situation and debating the best course of action, 100 Astartes and most of the tech-priests and serfs stay behind to preserve the ship’s vital systems, gene-seed storage, weapons and vehicles, and the technology to make new astartes. The Astartes quickly realize that as long as they are cut off from the greater Imperium, they need to prepare for the long war ahead...

Now fully introduced to the Agents of Liberty, the Astartes and Agents of Liberty formulate plans to retake the planet. The Astartes are debriefed by the Agents of Liberty as to how the war began and the current tactical and political position of the Imperial loyalists on Battlement. Success will entail the full defeat of the Tau Commander Shas'O Yoon and corrupt planetary governess Angelium Marcellus, as well as their auxiliaries. The Tau fleet above Battlement enjoys complete supremacy over the skies and in orbit, which means that the Tau occupation force has a guaranteed supply chain. Cutting them off from over 90% of their potential resources and manpower requires retaking 4 laser defense silos as well as 2 newly created Tau ion cannon emplacements. The Agents also acknowledged that as long as they are unpopular they will never gain many recruits and access to resources and manpower will be limited. Inspirational Agents of Liberty, Alexis Jonesson, and Astartes chaplains work to whip the vast majority of Battlement’s population into a frenzy through daring raids and secret gatherings. This will ensure the rebellion has popular support and can amass the strength for a general uprising.

Davidius Clarkeson and a few other Ranger Detachment volunteers lead daring raids to retake seized assets, sabotage critical Tau installations, rescue gue’la in concentration camps, and even steal heavy Tau weaponry. Davidius Clarkeson, who was among a number of Agents of Liberty that volunteered for implantation, led a raid into an Earth Caste machine factory. Aside from producing key software and hardware upgrades to their Battlesuits, this factory also produced better weapons for these vehicles. A massive Tau presence and fanatical Earth Caste workers exacted a heavy toll on his forces, but Clarkeson managed to force his way into the plasma reactor rooms and detonate them with explosives. He manages to escape after having his men steal what they can from the facility. Unfortunately, half the Imperial raiding forces are not as lucky and are either killed or captured in their attempts. The Tau Fire Caste commanders demand investigations for the uptick in such brazen violence, and begin heavier crackdowns on all major population centers. The Fire Caste on Battlement quickly realized that the rebellion has been empowered by the arrival of the Space Marines, and have been undertaking bold but costly actions because of their presence. Tau command is forced to acknowledge to the Ethereals that this insurgency will not end anywhere near on schedule, and will require more resources to put down.

Seeking valuable allies, the Agents of Liberty task Tedium Nugentus with securing the alliance of an enigmatic cult known as the Harbingers of Intrigue. Their psychic might could turn the tide of the war if utilized, and could also replace the long-dead astropathic choirs who were unable to warn the Imperium of the corrupt planetary governess. If contact can be re-established with the Imperium, the entire war could change for the Imperial loyalists. Tedium Nugentus, at this point a scout marine, leads a force into the abandoned city of Chicagus to seek out this cult. They enter the mostly destroyed sewer system, and are immediately assailed by patrolling Kroot and Vespid. The confined but varying spaces cause general confusion and allow many firing angles that leave both sides heavily mauled. Only flamers and shotguns manage to get the job done. Nugentus then sends his force out of the sewers and into the ghettos. After clearing multiple destroyed buildings, they discover the Harbingers of Intrigue living among the ruins. Nugentus’ team of scout marines and Agents manage to negotiate an alliance with the cult after hours of deliberation. The Harbingers make an attempt to contact the Imperium, but complain of warp storms blocking such attempts. While they were correct in this assumption, the god they were actually seeking to contact was not the God Emperor of Mankind...

With a powerful array of allies and enough supplies to sustain a planet-wide rebellion, the Agents of Liberty and their astartes allies begin Operation Regaining Freedom, with the overall objective to kick the Tau off of Battlement. The heavy urban combat initially swung in the favor of the Imperials thanks to the Astartes and recently seized Tau weapons. Desperate to end these strings of costly defeats, the Fire Caste authorizes the use of Puretide AI to assist the Tau in counter-insurgency operations. Their methods are increasingly brutal and horrifying effective. This culminates in the raid on Bostium, which kills the head commander of the Agents of Liberty, Omega Ben Lucious. He was being interviewed by Alexis Jonesson. A small team of Stealthsuits and Gue’vesa manage to sneak into the building and cut the power before sending down an unholy rain of plasma on its occupants. A wounded Jonesson is barely able to escape, but his image is shattered. Heavy collateral damage in the cities lead to costly civilian casualties, which sharply reduces popular support for the rebellion. Tau stealthsuits and Hammerhead gunships reap a heavy toll in the cities, with Fire Warriors and their allies slowly clearing resistance in enclosed areas.

 The attrition rate is just as high elsewhere in the forested regions. The Imperials attempt to seize the laser silos and Ion cannons, but are stopped dead in their tracks by fierce Tau resistance in the surrounding forests. Broadsides, Crisis suits and stealthsuits devastate the massed formations of the Imperials. The dense forests are perfect for Pathfinders and stealth oriented units to lay deadly ambushes and fire from concealed areas. The assaults are called off after 2 weeks of heavy casualties with little results. The rate of deaths were highly unsustainable for the rebellion, which was facing dire straits across the world. Ranger Davidius Clarkeson leads one of these ill-fated assaults on a laser silo. He doesn’t even reach the perimeter before his entire team is attacked by missiles and plasma barrages. All air support sent to him is shot down, and they can’t even be extracted. His team can only fight their way through the Tau encirclement. By the time they escape the battle zone, Davidius Clarkeson comes back without his team or his eye. The survivor’s guilt wracks him for weeks.

Tau forces mount devastating counter-attacks against major Imperial-loyalist strongholds in the promethium-rich desert regions. The Alamum, the largest of these strongholds, breaks under the weight of Riptide-led assaults after a month of relentless combat. Not even Libertatum Primus can save the battle, as he is forced away after multiple Riptides threaten to surround him and inflict heavy damage to his Knight in the process. The destruction of a riptide is his only consolation. Famous Agent of Liberty Davius Crocker is killed in the last stand, as he tries to buy time for his comrades to escape and make one last display of defiance and valor. Nearly the entire garrison dies during the defense. Tedium Nugentus, frantic to save his personal arsenal and avenge the fort he worked so hard to build, tries to lead a small team behind enemy lines to recover any weapons they can, but the assault fails and half of his team is killed or captured. They never even make it past the destroyed gates before disciplined volleys of Tau fire force them back. It would be a huge stain on Nugentus’ honor and a resounding propaganda victory for the Tau water and fire caste.

 The first uprising against the Tau fails after a year of bloody setbacks and stalemates. De-spirited and dwindled, the Imperial loyalists retreat to the crashed battle barge to lick their wounds, with the Tau hot on their heels. In what would become known as the Battle of the Barge, the Imperial loyalists pay a bloody price to hold the crash site. The Tau actually manage to breach the perimeter multiple times and heavily damage the defenders with well placed Broadside strikes. Libertatum Primus absorbs large amounts of fire from Tau Battlesuits, and he is ultimately toppled after destroying over a dozen higher-end Battlesuits in return. The pilot is critically wounded and the Knight itself is wrecked.  After days of intense CQC fighting, the Tau are ultimately forced out of the tight confines of the ship and instead blockade the crash site.

The Agents of Liberty and their astartes allies fight to keep their perimeter intact, but also realize their errors during the first rebellion. Their willingness to disregard civilian casualties as the ‘price of freedom’ and ‘necessary for the greater good’ cost the rebellion dearly in public support, morale, and volunteers. They made themselves look at least as uncaring and ruthless as the Tau. The rebels also couldn’t come up with effective ways to take down the various Tau Battlesuits. Moving in open formations would not be an option for the limited resources of the rebellion. Finally, the Harbingers of Intrigue wasted their time and manpower on strategically irrelevant objectives, rushing in only to secure areas sacred to the cult instead of areas important to the rebellion. The leadership will develop better tactics and place a heavier priority on protecting the lives of both their allies and civilians, if not out of morality then simple practicality.

Key assets like thunderhawks, land-speeders, Rhinos, and 4 Land Raiders are finally rebuilt at the Battle Barge crash site. These vehicles are used to break the blockade around the crash site, and the soldiers and astartes manage to gain footholds in most of the cities on Battlement. The crash site becomes a base of operations for the overall rebellion, and Tau attempts to destroy the HQ would meet consistent failure. The pilot of Libertatum Primus is restored to health, and the tech priests and serfs get to work fixing his Knight.

Alexis Jonesson redeems himself and his image in the eyes of the public by participating in a raid alongside Davidius Clarkeson to kill a notable Fire Caste commander name Shas’O Reen. Jonesson uncovers the truth that the commander had not only authorized numerous Tau operations that put toxic chemicals in the waters near stubborn Gue’la enclaves to sterilize and/or outright kill the populations, but that Shas'O Reen participated in the Ben Lucius raid himself. After personally killing the Tau commander he interrogated, Jonesson used his expertise in vox-related technology to spread these revelations far and wide, re-igniting mass public support. Tau propaganda can’t stop the flow of information, and the Water and Earth castes are quickly overwhelmed.

Tedium Nugentus, using a salvaged assault cannon, repulses a massed Kroot and Gue’vesa assault on a key stronghold. Nugentus’ team originally entered this stronghold to scavenge supplies, but they hit paydirt when they realized its quarry. This stronghold contained many Imperial and Tau heavy weapons that would later prove instrumental to the war effort. Kroot forces on site slammed into the unit, desperate to deny the Imperials of such weaponry. Many of the hallways were blasted full of holes and the Kroot blood was ankle-high in the enclosed areas. Gue’vesa also tried to sneak in and plant explosives to destroy the weapons, but they were always discovered before they could complete their objectives and were pushed back in brutal firefights. Reinforcements managed to chase the attacking Tau back to their base of operations before melting away into the landscape. Nugentus has kept this autocannon to this day.

Davidius Clarkeson develops a strategy to distract Tau battlesuits and ultimately destroy a major Tau advantage. Astartes terminators and heavy vehicles will absorb Tau battlesuit fire while Astartes and Agents of Liberty with jump-packs quickly pounce on the distracted battlesuits and destroy them with las-cannons and other heavy weapons. Clarkeson uses his meltagun to destroy dozens of battlesuits alone in the forests surrounding the laser silos. The XV8s and XV15s are either suppressed or their sensors are jammed while Clarkeson and his men move in for the kill. This strategy will ultimately be tested in the forests of Battlement. The Tau attempt to regain the initiative via deadly ambushes with ghostkeels and stealthsuits in the forests in a bid to cut off the rebellion. The rebellion utilizes new tactics and despite heavy casualties manages to stave off the tide of the Battlesuits and Hammerhead gunships, in addition to precision airstrikes by Thunderhawks or decisive vehicular counterattacks. The relentless battle in the Mericaen forests give these forests a grim nickname: The Redwoods. However, the Imperium isn’t able to push out of these forests for another month.

Though the Tau have more advanced soldiers, they have completely lost their popular support thanks to damning revelations of Tau brutality and steady advances into the cities. The Harbingers of Intrigue also begin using their full psychic potential to devastate the Tau and their auxiliaries. Some Tau forces are driven towards madness and flee, others commit suicide after seeing horrific visions, and most are simply torn apart by the power of the warp. Only drones are able to resist their psychic powers and prevent a full-scale rout. The Harbingers of Intrigue also convince the Imperials that they contacted the wider Imperium for aid in their conflict, but the truth is much worse...

An overwhelming majority of the cities are now under the control of the loyalist Imperials. Any remaining gue’vesa either leave the cities back to the Tau capital building called Installation T4U-2019 or are killed. Commander Shas'O Yoon requests orbital bombardment to destroy all of the rebellion-held cities. Kor’Ro Sky-Reaper announces that her ships will be in position to launch said bombardments in 5 days. Alexis Jonesson and other Agents of Liberty managed to hack or seize Tau communications from dead Fire Warriors and inform the rebellion of their greatest challenge yet. There are only 3 Mericaen cities which can withstand the bombardment for a few days thanks to their void shielding. The Imperials waste no time in planning their assault. Repairs on Libertatum Primus are completed with all haste, for his firepower will be needed for the assault.

The Astartes send their armored units and jump-pack marines to the front lines to seize the first two laser silos, with the Agents of Liberty and Astartes Terminators breaching the interiors. Moderate casualties are reported as the attackers encounter Tau drones and Kroot defenders. Now realizing the objectives of the Imperials, the Tau bring multiple battlesuits to defend the next 2 laser silos and Hammerhead gunships to bolster the infantry defenders. The astartes armored units aren’t enough to break the defensive line, requiring stealthy attacks from hidden heavy weapons units to destroy the Battlesuits and Hammerheads. Despite a heavy cost, the Imperials manage to break the defenses and secure all the laser silos. These laser silos are used to start attacking the Tau fleet, but isn’t enough to deter them.

The Ion cannons will have to be taken, but Shas'O Yoon is fully aware of what’s at stake and sends all of his remaining Battlesuits to defend the Ion Cannons. With hours left before a devastating Tau bombardment, the rebellion pours its might into one desperate gamble. A full scale assault is mounted, that is twice repulsed by the fury of the Fire Warriors and their battlesuits. Even gue’vesa and other Tau auxiliaries take to the field, and Shas'O Yoon takes his KX139 Supremacy Armor to the field personally, destroying 2 Land raiders alone. Only concentrated fire from Thunderhawks, Terminator Marines, Libertatum Primus, the remaining Land Raiders, Harbingers of Intrigue with their psychic powers (to distract the Tau commander and weaken him), and Agents of Liberty armed with heavy weapons were able to finally take down the especially deadly Battlesuit. Shocked by the death of their commander, the Tau line finally collapsed and the Agents of Liberty and astartes seized the Ion Cannons in bloody CQC battle. The laser silos and Ion Cannons either destroy or completely repel the Tau fleet, though some plasma barrages deal damage to the cities below. After a grueling year of fighting inside the Tau Installation T4U-2019, the remaining Tau resistance is finally eliminated. All gue’vesa are hunted down and brutally executed, as is the corrupt planetary governor.

The sector where Battlement resides is finally free of warp storms. Battlement rebuilds as they recover from the war. The Agents of Liberty send more of their best recruits to become astartes, while other aspirants finally finish the implantation process. The astartes chapter, unaware of most of their origins, call themselves the Emperor’s Liberators (a nickname by both the population and the newest astartes recruits). The crashed battle barge is formed into a fortress-monastery titled the Albus Domus, and The Hexagon (nicknamed the 'Hex) is built as a command center for the Agents of Liberty. The Emperor's Liberators swell to 2500 marines, disregarding the codex restrictions. Davidius Clarkeson, Alexis Jonesson, and Tedium Nugentus are elected to the rank of Executives of the Emperor’s Liberators despite only recently finishing implantation due to a lack of chapter leadership. Battlement is ultimately turned into a prosperous and well defended planet, but would be sorely tested in the years to come.