Battlefleet Lithesh

Tasked with defending the trade routes, planets, and void stations of the Lithesh Sector. Almost half of its current strength is primarily based in the Correndor sub as part of the ongoing conflict in that region, with much of the remainder being dedicated to defence of the core worlds and convoys of the Excellon sub, resulting in increased pirate activity on the sector fringes in recent decades.

The Battlefleet primarily operates independently with occasional assistance from Battlefleet Ultima. Each of the subsectors of the Lithesh sector is assigned a battlegroup dedicated to its defence, with additional battlegroups being formed as needed for trans-subsector activities such as deep void pirate hunting and major military operations supporting the sector's Astra Militarum.

## Battlefleet composition

Total roster of ~90 capital ships (31 major, ~60 cruiser); ~4 escorts and ~2 fleet support/transport ships per capital ship.

* ~25 Light cruisers
* ~30 Cruisers
* 16 Battlecruisers
* 4 Grand Cruisers
* 11 Battleships

### Sub-battlefleet compositions

* Battlefleet Excellon: ~20 capital ships
	+ Two Battleships (Emperor and Apocalypse) and two of the grand cruisers, but only two Battlecruisers (one Mars, one Overlord)
	+ Most prestigious posting, with some of the oldest and most potent vessels in the entire fleet, and the honour of defending the capital world(s)
* Battlefleet Correndor: ~15 capital ships
	+ Two battleships (Emperor and Invincible), three Battlecruisers (two Mars, one Armageddon)
	+ Heavily intermingled command structure with sector defense fleet
* Battlefleet Regalia: ~12 capital ships
	+ One battleship (Emperor), two Battlecruisers (both Armageddon)
* Battlefleet Savaven: ~8 capital ships
	+ One battleship (Invincible), one Battlecruiser (Armageddon)
* Sector defense fleet: ~25 capital ships
	+ Four Battleships (Retribution [Battlefleet Lithesh flagship], Emperor, Invincible, and Nemesis)
	+ Two Grand Cruisers (including Wrathful Hand) and eight Battlecruisers (mostly Mars, couple of Armageddon, one Overlord)
* Patrol battlegroups ("pirate hunters"): ~10 capital ships
	+ One Battleship (Oberon)
	+ One Dictator Class Cruiser, the rest are all light cruisers - mostly Dauntless with a few Defiant

Most notable of the pirate hunters is the flotilla commanded by Solar Admiral Arthentis, who commands Implacable Judgement - the only Oberon Class Battleship in the sector and the only such vessel permanently seconded to pirate hunting (though the flotilla sometimes assists in other military actions in fringe systems). The ancient flagship is accompanied by three Dauntless light cruisers and at least a dozen Cobras, with which he patrols the periphery of the sector seemingly at random. His approach is baffling and unorthodox to his peers and senior admirals, but the results are hard to argue with - Arthentis holds the sector record among living naval commanders for confirmed hull kills. Granted, most of those were diminutive pirate raiders, but his taskforce's actions have undeniably prevented hundreds of worlds from falling into starvation or, worse, unproductivity due to the privations of voidborne piratical scum.

## Main bases of operation

### Port Khessar

Taking up a sizeable fraction of one of the orbital plates of High Khessar, Port Khessar includes dry docks, resupply stations, administrative facilities, and a naval academy renowned across Segmentum Ultima. The vast complex is unusually pleasant by naval standards, with rolling parks for officers' recreation and high quality accommodations for all but the lowliest ratings. The massive recruitment pool and strong military culture of High Khessar offers a nearly unlimited supply of talent, and the prestige of a naval commission means they are rarely short of skilled officers.

### Voidsquall Station

Core base of the battlegroups active in the trailing Correndor sub

### Eldritch Alpha

Main orbital defence platform of Eldritch Secundus - Ramilies Class Star-Fort moved to the system to serve as provisional naval base until more permanent facilities can be established

# Typical Voidship Classes

The following is a description of the most common, or in some cases otherwise most prominent, classes of the vessels found within Battlefleet Lithesh.

Sloop < Destroyer < Raider < Corvette < Frigate < Heavy Frigate < Light Cruiser <

Monitor Cruiser < Cruiser < Battlecruiser < Grand Cruiser < Battleship

Sloop -> Heavy Frigate = Escorts

Light Cruiser -> Cruiser = Cruisers

Battlecruiser -> Battleship = Major Capital Ships

## Escorts

### Cobra Class Destroyer

The Cobra Class is the most numerous warp-capable vessel in Battlefleet Lithesh, though as more are claimed in the war wracking the sector, the Claymore could overtake the Cobra in a century or two.

Each Cobra is usually equipped with an array of dorsal Stygies Pattern macrocannons produced on Lithex Dominus, offering more punch than the more widely used Mars pattern. Their prow weapon can be either a Starbreaker lance weapon, produced on Lithex Maximus, or four Gryphonne pattern torpedo tubes, almost always firing plasma torpedoes fabricated by Lithex Optimus. Thanks to the relatively abundant availability of lance weapons from Maximus, and the propensity of admirals to place the less valuable torpedo boats in harm's way, the two variants are roughly equal in numbers within the Battlefleet.

Lithesh Cobras are not generally built for extended patrols. Their plasma drives - fine tuned by the Magi of Lithex Optimus - burn hot and hungry, making them excellent fast interceptors but limiting their use outside of well-trodden routes and well-supported fleet actions.

### Claymore Class Corvette

Produced in great numbers since the period of turmoil that erupted with the start of the Damocles Crusade, the Claymore has the significant advantage of being cheap, rugged, and easy to produce. They were initially pumped out as a compromise escort for the sector's Merchant Fleets but, ever since the Correndor War began in earnest, they have increasingly been pressed into front-line service, sometimes cynically being thrown into the meat grinder by admirals desperate to hold on to their more ancient and storied vessels. Lacking the agility and speed of the Cobra, but less robust and deadly than the Sword or Firestorm, the Claymore is widely derided by the admiralty in general, but their tendency to be less age-worn and offer larger quarters than other naval escorts makes them a favourite among the ratings.

The typical corvette of Battlefleet Lithesh uses a twin battery of Stygies macrocannons to deliver reliable albeit unremarkable damage output. Production of these cannons is most often contracted out to manufactories outside of Lithex Dominus, resulting in their generally being lower quality and lacking the more advanced targeting systems that mark a Dominus macrocannon. Despite this, it is not uncommon for the vessels to be outfitted with other weapons salvaged from damaged ships, and a sizeable percentage of the fleet's Claymores feature quite potent armament hastily fitted in times of need.

### Sword & Firestorm Class Frigates

The classic Sword and Firestorm frigates are widely seen throughout Battlefleet Lithesh, though most of them are relatively old as recent production has focused on Claymores, Defiants, and Endeavours. The archetypal pirate patrol of Battlefleet Lithesh is still a Sword frigate with pair of Cobra Destroyers.

Each is typically armed small broadsides of Stygies macrocannons, and either battery of Ryza pattern plasma macrocannons produced on Optimus (Sword class) or a Sunhammer lance weapon produced on Maximus

Every Sword and Firestorm in the fleet mounts a double reinforced prow, along with additional armour plating many have an extended lighter bay and cargo hold, facilitating their resupply from backwater facilities. They have some of the finest sensor arrays produced in the sector.

## Cruisers

### Dauntless Light Cruiser

Battlefleet Lithesh's preferred scouting flagship, the Dauntless Light Cruiser is typically commanded by a vice admiral and backed up by several squadrons of individual Frigates with supporting Cobra Destroyers. The Dauntless is a dying class in the Battlefleet - with little capacity to produce new ones and the increased risk borne by lightly armed scout patrols operating on the fringes of the sector, the once plentiful eyes and ears of the fleet have gradually been whittled away. Nevertheless, at least one is able to be assigned to the patrol of every subsector, with an ever-shrinking handful being maintained as a more flexible scouting force.

### Defiant, Endeavour, & Endurance Class Light Cruisers

The last millennium has seen a substantial increase in the desire for both heavier escorts and cruisers. Lithex Dominus, ever seeking to compromise, decided to offer the Endeavour hull as a straightforward balance between the two. Both lack the highly tuned sensors and superior speed of the Dauntless, but their improved armour makes them somewhat more resilient during full-scale engagements.

These classes of vessel are usually outfitted with long-range sunsear las batteries, which they can use to support escorts from range or add to the weight of fire provided by larger vessels. The base Endeavour uses the batteries in broadside, with a formidable 8-tube torpedo system capable of severely damaging a cruiser with a good hit, and able to corral enemy escorts into the path of friendly capital ships' arc of fire. The Defiant, meanwhile, mounts its las batteries on dorsal turrets and features a pair of landing bays with extended cargo or troop carrying facilities, which make them a popular choice as flagship of small pirate-hunter battlegroups.

### Lunar & Dictator Class Cruisers

As with nearly everywhere else in the Imperium, the Lunar hull dominates. Endlessly flexible, the Lunar is produced in some number in every voidyard of any consequence in the Lithesh Sector. Most of the Dictators in the fleet are refitted Lunars, though damaged Lunar hulls are most frequently designated for refitting as Armageddon class battlecruisers. As such, several Dictators have been produced de novo by secondary shipyards as a means to reduce the burden on larger carrier capital ships, most of which have been seconded to battlegroups prosecuting the Correndor War.

The couple of dozen Lunar cruisers in Battlefleet Lithesh mount a wide variety of weapon systems, but the most common general configuration is a mixed broadside of macrocannons and lances, with a brace of torpedo tubes set into an adamantine prow many metres thick.

### Tyrant Class Cruiser

Not quite as common as the Lunar and Dictator Classes, but a close third - the Tyrant is unusually prevalent in Lithesh compared to other battlefleets. The reason for this is historical - Battlefleet Lithesh came to the aid of Lithex Optimus sometime during the Age of Apostasy, and the forge world was gravely threatened by the Archenemy and neither of its companion worlds were able or willing to offer aid. The Battlefleet reacted swiftly - remarkably so by the standards of the Imperium - and Optimus was saved with miraculously little infrastructure damage thanks to the Battlefleet defeating the forces of Chaos before they were able to make planetfall. Ever since, Optimus has pledged to construct one Tyrant for the Battlefleet every 162 years, representing the Omnissiah's Holy Ratio and forever commemorating their gratitude.

The hulls of the Tyrants are produced by Optimus as a matter of pride, making them relatively poor quality by the standards of the average Dominus-produced cruiser. Still, their extensive plasma batteries are better than all but the truly ancient weapons extant in the fleet, and the artisans of Optimus strive to put their best into every subsystem. Components not produced by Optimus vary wildly in quality between individual vessels, with their availability depending heavily on the current political status quo between the Lithex worlds; each of the other worlds knowing how deeply important the Tyrants are to Optimus' sense of honour. The flickering gellar field of one Tyrant could be a historical artefact of the Power Conduit Dispute with Maximus of mid M38, while the flimsy armour belt of another may recall the Blessed Unguent Schism with Dominus of late M40.

### Dominator Class Cruiser

Several Dominators feature prominently in the Battlefleet's roster, all of which were produced at the Segmentum Battlefleet headquarters of Kar Duniash long before the Cicatrix Maledictum shut Battlefleet Lithesh off from the rest of the segmentum. As such, they have acquired a status as symbols of Imperial resistance, and reminders of great loss, which has made them particularly prestigious to serve aboard.

The Dominators all mount a gargantuan Mars pattern nova cannon along much of their length, set back slightly from their monolithic armoured prows. These capital ships are all old, some of them having careers that date back multiple millennia, and as such have a variety of broadside load-outs, though most use a mixture of macrobatteries - often long-range las batteries and closer-range macrocannons.

## Major capital ships

### Mars Class Battlecruiser

Though no longer in production by the holy Martian forges, the Mars battlecruiser remains the first choice of the Battlefleet Lithesh admiralty. As combat losses mount, the Armageddon class threatens to eclipse the Mars as most common Battlecruiser in the fleet, but the tech priests of Dominus are among the few forge worlds that manage to maintain production of the complex hull and temperamental nova cannon.

The Mars excels at controlling large areas, with a stand-off range enhanced by its main cannon and hangar bays. Several admirals of the Battlefleet swear by the ability of their Mars to pick off foes from afar while the rest of their battlegroup closes on the enemy. Nevertheless, several Mars class vessels have been hulked over the last century when their escorts were disabled and they found themselves unable to overpower another capital ship at close range.

### Armageddon Class Battlecruiser

Refitted from damaged Lunar cruisers, the Armageddon is rapidly becoming a mainstay of the Battlefleet. It has earned a strong reputation as an affordable capital ship killer and performed well in several crucial battles during the Damocles Crusade and Correndor War.

Offering greater firepower than the Lunar, it is able to operate as the flagship of less important battlegroups, though it is somewhat limited in terms of extended patrol capability. Where it truly shines in the minds of many admirals, however, is as a (relatively) disposable knife-fighting vessel, with sufficient guns to overwhelm most cruisers on its own and enough crew to repel boarding actions effectively. Ratings are not so enamoured with service aboard Armageddons, for similar reasons - its excessive firepower encourages the glory-hungry flag officers to take risks, and packing the crew of a battlecruiser into the hull of a cruiser makes for uncomfortable living conditions.

### Avenger Grand Cruiser

Every one of the dwindling stock of grand cruisers maintained in active service by the Battlefleet is an Avenger. Hard-core old-school linebreakers, the Avengers are mainly used for adding extra intimidation to an under-strength battlegroup, and for adding a tremendous weight of fire to anticipated major fleet engagements.

Most distinguished and ancient of the Avengers is the awesome and terrible Wrathful Hand, known affectionately as Ol' Headsman within the fleet, which sports a most unusual armament. The voidship was reconfigured sometime around M36 as a focused planetary assault ship and it has remained that way ever since. As such, it mounts a triple broadside of heavy bombardment macrocannons along one side and a trio of close-range lance batteries along the other.

Though it has been used occasionally in crucial fleet battles over the years, its primary purpose is the utter annihilation of planets. it was from the bridge of Ol' Headsman that the destruction of Eldritch was ordered, and all but one of the Kaheschi worlds were razed by the guns of the vessel.

### Emperor Class Battleship

Battleships are not common by any metric, but the Emperor is the least uncommon in the Battlefleet. Tending towards a more circumspect approach than the stereotypical linebreaker style battleship tactics, the admiralty favours the Emperor as a highly capable command vessel. Remaining at the rear of formations, the Emperor will engage at range using its potent array of dorsal lance turrets, relying on its broadsides to chip away at enemy void shields and defend against escorts that manage to get close. Its true power lies in its attack craft, however, which have seen extensive service supporting the Imperial Guard campaigns of the Correndor War.

### Invincible Class Battleship

The Invincible is not nearly as maligned by the Battlefleet Lithesh admiralty as it is within most other sectors. This is in no small part thanks to Solar Admiral Servitz, hero of the Kronus rout, who leads her battlegroup-at-large from the ornate bridge of Eternal Vigil. Over the two centuries that the vessel has been under her command, she has come to master its idiosyncrasies, using its speed and firepower to great effect. The tactics perfected on the Eternal Vigil have become part of the core curriculum at the Port Khessar Naval Scholarium, and consequently the Battlefleet has deployed these specialised but devastating warships in the role they were designed for. Despite the sanguine attitude of the officer class towards the Invincible Class, its poor reputation among ratings and NCOs persists.