Cracked Mirror Campaign

Herein lies the official Imperium report on the Cardinal Archivists Astartes Chapter, and their contribution to the Cracked Mirror campaign. In particular, their unorthodox, if highly efficient method of quelling the Xenos threat.

Please note that this commission has been previously been granted leeway in reporting and classifying Cardinal Archivist activities, and as such, makes no apology for contents. Be assured that all sources and contingent reports have been duly checked, and that this commission will not accept requests for clarification or criticism. As per this commission's clearance and rank, this report is to be taken as the final word on the incident.

*Look, I'm tired of getting asked if we're making these reports up. We were lucky enough to get one of our own there in time to get a close look at the Archivists. The fact that he came back hung-over and tattooed is entirely beside the point. I don't care if you can't believe what's in this report - it's the Emperor's own truth, and we are **not** getting reamed for this again. If you find issue with this document, take it up with a Tarot deck, as this commission will not be answering your inquiries.*

*And that tattoo was pretty impressive. Aquila across the chest. Wish I'd thought of that when I was a young man.* - Senior Commission Chair, Master Thoth

May this recount of events serve to enlighten others as to this most *unique* of Astartes Chapters.

### Abstract

In order to understand the terrible strategic situations of this engagement, one must first be familiar with the strange battlefields involved. The worlds of Segmentum Tempestus Gobshite and Hobknocker are a binary planetary system, meaning that they orbit each other. Hobknocker is tidally locked towards Gobshite, meaning that it presents only one face towards its sister-world. Gobshite was nominally populated, as it was only recently being developed towards Forge World status. The Adeptus Mechanicus are now known to have housed a high-level research station on Gobshite, the contents of which are now lost.

Hobknocker was thought to be uninhabitable, having a surface crust primarily composed of dense basalt, and little atmosphere to speak of. As such, the Adeptus Mechanicus outpost on Gobshite had only done a surface study of Hobknocker, in hopes of finding suitable mining deposits. It is to the Mechanicus' credit that their distress message managed to leave Hobknocker at all.

Approximately two standard months before the Cardinal Archivists entry into the conflict, the truth of Hobknocker was discovered. It was a Necron Tomb World, having layed dormant for untold millions of years before discovery. The Adeptus Mechanicus survey party was eliminated wholesale as the first of the Necron army re-awoke.

The central strategic issue of the campaign was that while Hobknocker was completely lifeless, thus making a beachhead assault impossible, it was completely overtaken by the Necrons, rapidly transforming the surface into a hive of fortresses and artillery. And this is where Imperium forces found the stumbling block that very nearly ended the incident. Necrons have never seemed, in the history of their conflict with Humanity, to favor extreme long range artillery. Nonetheless, the tidally locked face of Hobknocker was quickly populated with Doomsday-class Monoliths, and Gauss Annihilators. Which, to the Imperial Fleet's surprise, and the consternation of all the Empire's experts on Necron war-machines - were able to strike the surface of Gobshite. The foul Necron forces began systematic inter-planetary bombardment within a week of their discovery. The source of their uncanny ability was not discovered until later, after much devastation.

### Entrance of the Cardinal Archivists Into Campaign

Upon initial contact with the Cardinal Archivist's Chapter Lord and Lady, and subsequent plea for aid, the Chapter Lady offered to "*call in a favor with the Deathwatch, and have an Exterminatus dropped on their shiny little heads." [sic]*

 After this offer was politely, if somewhat in panic, refused, the Chapter Lord and Lady agreed to send a single Captain-Commander, their equivalent to a head of a Company, along with suitable forces and artillery. Their chosen commander was one Hans Draconis, and it his efforts that this report will focus on, being both and exemplar of strategic genius - and an example of the Cardinal Archivists signature *peculiarities*.

It is also at this vital junction that this commission's fact-finding scribe was dispatched to record the Cardinal Archivists commander in action. What follows is largely compiled from his on-site records and evaluations. We are of course indebted to this brave scholar, and wish him the best in his early retirement from public service, following the events he faithfully recorded.

Approximately sixty-five standard days into the battle for the system, no less than three Imperial Guard cruisers had been crippled or destroyed by the extreme-long range fire from Hobknocker's surface. The rotation of Hobknocker and Gobshite meant that the near-constant fire was raining on Gobshite ground forces every two standard days, reducing most settlements to broken wastes, and hammering Imperial military sites.

The *Retribution*-class battleship *Peñor*, of the Cardinal Archivist fleet, exited the Warp outside the Gobshite gravity well, delivering Captain-Commander Draconis to the battle. As per Draconis' orders, the vessel followed a flight-path similar to Hobknocker's, visually tracking the bombardment for some time. It is assumed that it was during his observation of the Necron artillery that he formed an idea of the Xenos strategy.

After landing on Gobshite, Draconis initially snubbed a meeting with the joint command of the campaign, including PDF, Imperial Guard, and the Planetary Governor. Instead he immediately met with the Commissariat commanders present in the theater. Being, we are informed, an ex-Commissar himself, Draconis exchanged greeting and command ciphers with the Commissars, asking for their views on the ongoing operation. Whatever the content of this exchange, Draconis' reactions are assumed to be directly consequential. His 'knee-capping' of the senior Imperial Guard Colonel in charge certainly appears to be in-line with Commissariat field-report recommendations.

Taking immediate command of all Imperium forces in the theater, Draconis laid out a new plan for defense of Gobshite forces, and a re-allocation of resources towards continued operations. Whether indeed the Planetary Governor was responsible for gross negligence in these matters is an issue for another department. Suffice to say that a number of previously unallocated resources and troops were indeed discovered and immediately distributed throughout the Gobshite defenses. As to his seizing of total control of Imperium forces, private journals and reports released to this commission paint a thoroughly impressive picture. The PDF command personnel seem only to happy to cede control to the Astartes, and the non-hospitalized Imperial Guard command fell in line swiftly, perhaps on un-spoken threat of further thinning of their ranks. Whatever his methods of ensuring cooperation, he is credited with reorganizing the whole of Gobshite's forces within a standard day of his arrival. That the whole of his orders were delivered to joint command while in master-crafted Terminator armor is noted, but rejected, as he primary means of coercion.

It is also here that our intrepid scribe managed to include himself in the Captain-Commander's personal entourage. How he did this is not specifically mentioned in his reports, but a receipt for '*six crates Valhallan tanna leaf tea*' was included with his final documents, indicating that he may have bribed his way in, exceeding his entire discretionary budget on the first day.