Kalidar War - Battle for Hive Meradon: Their hatred for the Orks outweighing their disdain of the Imperial ruling class on Kalidar, Mayor Bruta decided to help Bannick. Traveling swiftly on the back of a local beast, the sandpike -- a fast-running six-legged carnivorous pseudo-lizard -- Bruta and Bannick led a party of the mayor's able-bodied mutants through the Ozymandian Basin. The sandpikes were able to "swim" at phenomenal speed through the patches and lakes of quickdust they encountered and so the Sandscum travelled far faster than the Imperial armoured column under the command of Honoured Lieutenant Cortein. This, Bannick devised, was also the Sandscum's secret to guaranteeing their stealth, for they moved through the land avoided by both Greenskins and the Imperials.The Sandscum caught up with the Imperial column roughly 40 kilometres from their intended target, on the same day the sandstorm finally cleared. While everybody was relieved to see that Bannick was alive, the expedition commanders were more interested by what information Mayor Bruta and his scout could offer. A council of war was arranged where the Imperial commanders, Captain Exertraxes and Honoured Lieutenant Cortein, would listen to what Bruta had to say.The Sandscum having declared the air safe to breath, none of the Imperial were wearing their claustrophobic rebreaters and googles. Mayor Bruta warned the Imperial officers that their intended path of attack would take them straight into a dangerous area: with such a powerful storm having crossed, that region of the desert would now be filled with lakes of quickdust.The only option was to pass through a region known as the Utrazi Pans, a prospect Captain Exertaxes was reluctant to agree to since the Pans featured an enormous heat sink marked by geysers of super-heated gas that spewed unpredictably from it. These gases were so hot they would be able to instantly cook the tankers even within their vehicles.It was Honoured Lieutenant Cortein who pointed out that passing through the Utrazi Pans would allow the Imperial formation to attack the Orks from one of the few sectors the Greenskins had neither fortified nor mined. Orbital reconnaissance sent down from the Imperial Navy confirmed that their initially planned approach would run into these mine fields. By taking Bruta's route the formation could significantly improve their chances. After much reflection, Exertaxes decided to follow the Sandscum's advice.Bruta also carried another gift for the tankers: Sandscum amulets like the one Olli had given to Bannick. Made of unrefined Lorelei crystal, the mayor theorised that if the amulets could counteract the effects of the Ghosts of Kalidar they might also offer a modicum of protection against the powers of the Ork witch.Mere solar minutes after the conclusion of the meeting, a panicked Lieutenant Bausillak, the commander of the Atlas, reported that Astropath Valle's head had just exploded in a swelter of green fire. The Orks knew they were coming!Despite having lost the element of surprise, the Imperial formation dutifully mounted their assault the next day. Their primary mission was to seek and destroy the enemy Gargant they had encountered on the Kostoval Flats. Once this mission was accomplished, they were to hold a strategic location designated Workshop Alpha 143 and await relief. Everyone recognised the suicidal nature of these orders, yet none had flinched at carrying them out.After having crossed the Urzani Pans, the Imperial tanks adopted a large arrowhead formation with Mars Triumphant at its tip. The Imperial formation ploughed through Hive Meradon's surface town. Where needed, the Baneblade paved the way ahead with precise shots of its Demolisher Cannon.Mounted in their Chimera APC, the Atraxian heavy infantry followed Mars Triumphant in while the Leman Russes delivered covering fire, replacing Imperial artillery. As soon as they had entered the surface town, the Imperial formation was assailed by Tankbustaz and Boyz. The Baneblade easily shrugged off the incoming fire but several Chimeras were struck and immobilised.Never ones to miss out on a decent fight, the Orks launched themselves at the Baneblade with savage glee. Most did not carry any weapons capable of seriously harming the super heavy, but still they came on. Targets were so numerous that Bannick, who operated Mars’ sponsoon-mounted Heavy Bolters, had to watch out not to expend his ammunition too quickly.With eyes on their target, the Baneblade's crew could finally recognise that this infamous Workshop Alpha 143 was in truth the Ork's main construction yard. And it was far from abandoned: five Stompaz were standing there like patrons crowding a small bar. Fortunately for the small taskforce, the Auspex-returns indicated that only two of them were operational, the others either undergoing repairs or still being constructed, but there was still no sign of the enemy Titan.Just as the two operational Stompaz began to trade shots with Mars Triumphant, the skies above Hive Meradon were lit by an indigo beam of energy: the telltale sign of an orbital strike! With pinpoint-accuracy, the lance-strike annihilated the active Stompaz.A long-range Vox-communication was relayed by the Baneblade's communication officer, confirming that Commodore Spasduki had led the Imperial Navy in a decisive counterattack against the Ork fleet, temporarily pressing them back so that his own flagship, the Heavy Cruiser Emperor's Lambent Glory, was free to support the ground forces.With targetting coordinates provided directly by Mars Triumphant, the Imperial Navy began to level the construction yard, annihilating the dormant Stompaz. Their secondary objective accomplished, Cortein got Captain Exertaxes on the line, stating his intention to hunt down the Gargant with Mars Triumphant. Cortein suggested the Atraxian find a defensive position and let the Baneblade proceed alone, a proposition which Captain Exertaxes quickly refused. As if on cue, Mars Triumphant’s Auspex finally got a fix on the enemy Gargant. The hunt could begin.