Assault on Fantian

Armorial of the Celestial Heralds.

The **Assault on Fantian** was a xenocidal purgation campaign conducted by the Celestial Heralds Space Marine Chapter against the nefarious xenos known as the Aeldari upon the disputed Maiden World of Fantian.

## Background

The world designated Fantian was a natural paradise. And yet, despite attempt after attempt to colonize it, it still remained unconquered. It had gained a reputation as a haunted world in the public imagination, but it wasn't until a failed expedition in the middle of M37 that the new Celestial Heralds chapter master Shunzhi began to suspect that these ghosts were actually the Aeldari who had been raiding Huaguo sub-sector. Intensive scanning was barely able to detect anything intelligent on the surface, but knowing what they were looking for the Imperials were finally able to trace the few life signs to a sizable yet primitive colony of xenos. There could be no mistake, this was the same race that had been raiding human colonies for millennia, and if the aesthetic of these villagers seemed a bit different from the pirates, well Space Marines looked different from human civilians as well.

The Guard elements that went down to the world first were well briefed, but it was judged that their superstitious fear would be more useful than overconfidence, and so they were told little about their foe. Their job was only to support in this battle, for the Celestial Heralds had gathered in force for the first time since their maiden crusade. Nine hundred and eighty super human warriors dropped in the only full chapter operation in the history of the Celestial Heralds. They knew it was a trap, the wily Aeldari had surely detected the human forces as soon as they had landed, but Shunzhi hoped that against a fragile foe, speed and ceramite would manage to blast through whatever the enemy had planned.

And it worked. The Aeldari village was well defended with a variety of conventional weaponry and traps, and they also had some sort of previously undetected giant lizard species aiding them. But the chapter master had put in plenty of margin for the unexpected, and the village was small enough that no amount of preparation could have readied them to face the full might of a space marine chapter dripping hard into their midst. Celestial Herald firepower was maximal and their casualties were minimal, less that two squads lost in the furious six minute assault.

At the same signal that launched the Celestial Heralds in their drop pods, the guardsmen surrounding the xenos village burned a ring around it, creating a dead zone impossible to cross without being spotted and gunned down. A few stragglers tried it, but within days the xenocide was declared complete. A triumph was declared on the capitol world of Jingxing that was broadcast around the sub-sector, and for the first time in millennia, Huaguo sub-sector was wholly clear of threats. The Celestial Heralds had freed the Zhonghua people, and religious fervor reached an all time high.

The monitoring stations remained on alert, but as far as the Imperials were concerned, the Aeldari homeworld in the region had been annihilated, and thus the subsequent lack of Aeldari raiders was no surprise. If they had known the difference between Commorite and Exodite Aeldari, the sudden disappearance of the former would have been a dire portent. But then again, if they could tell the two apart, they wouldn't have attacked an Exodite world hunting the Drukhari.