Siege of Vraks - A New Commander: News of the perilous situation now developing on Vraks reached the ears of the Lord Militant Obscurus and his councellors and staff on Cadia. From his massive fortified command centre, he had a view of the entire strategic situation across the whole segmentum. A very powerful man, with thousands of armies at his command and with a direct line of communication back to Terra and the High Lords, it was his staff that had originally conceived the plan to besiege Vraks and appointed Lord Commander Zuehlke. Now it fell to those same men to rescue everything. He had already empowered Prefect Istar Ornus to investigate the situation whose first recommendation was to replace 88th army’s command staff. They had failed in their duty and failed the Emperor, squandering the vast resources that had been made available by the Departmento Munitorum.News of his imminent dismissal made little impact upon Lord Commander Zuehlke. Placid and assured, with the full knowledge that a man of his elevated social rank could not fall far from grace. Zuehlke was already lined up for a command position on the staff of the 7003rd Imperial Guard army, mustering to counter continued Ork attacks by the Great Despot of Dregruk. It was for those beneath him to bear the wrath for this failure. Those that had not already sort appointments elsewhere faced banishment to penal regiments or field commands on the Eastern Fringe to face the growing Tyranid invasions. This was as good as a death sentence for most, as few men who faced the alien Tyranids ever returned.With the command structure of 88th army being revised, a power vacuum formed. Who was to run this war? There were powerful voices seeking to take advantage of the failure. On the Cardinal world of San Artorus, the Cardinal-Astrals of the Sector claimed that the failure on Vraks was due to lack of faith. The battle should be one to retake the defiled Basilica of St Leonis and liberate the saint’s holy relics from the heretics. The arch-heretic Xaphan had been one of their own, and if anybody should bring him to justice it was the forces of the Emperor’s Ecclesiarchy. They could provide their own forces to help stabilise the battle on the ground and avert defeat, but only on the condition that they could appoint their own commander. These claims were backed by the Scarus conclave of the Ordo Hereticus, who had their own Inquisitors ready to take command. They would seek to impose the Inquisition’s rule on all of the 88th siege army and could induct the whole organisation into their ranks, placing their Inquisitors at the head of each regiment. It was a powerful alliance and lobbying and intriguing to take command of 88th army was ferocious. In the halls and corridors of power, the 88th siege army seemed to be a prize many wanted control over.But the Departmento Munitorum would hear none of it. The siege army must remain under Administratum control and it was their lines of supply and their materiels the army was relying on. If they could not appoint their own commander, then the priority status of the war would have to be reviewed, warned Prefect Ornus. It was unlikely that anybody who took control could hope to win without the Departmento Munitorum’s full support. They might suddenly find that supplies were less abundant and replacement manpower for Krieg regiments was now needed on other battlefields.As supreme commander, the Lord Militant Obscurus felt it was his right and duty to find a replacement despite being petitioned by all sides. He had a difficult political job reconciling all parties. In the end he reserved the right to appoint the commander of the troops in the field and allowed his most vocal opponents to find men to join the new commander’s staff and fill the administration roles. With many unhappy with the final outcome, the command of 88th army would be under pressure to immediately transform the campaign. The Ecclesiarchal lobby still pressing strongly and withholding their support until such time as their influence was sufficient to warrant the deployment of their military might.The commander eventually chosen to take up this poisoned chalice was Marshal Arnim Kagori, a hard-fighting general with an impressive record of victories. Although now aged, he was seen as a safe pair of hands for the 88th siege army. Like his predecessor he was a nobleman, the scion of a family with a long history of service in the upper ranks of the Imperial Guard. Amongst his large entourage was his personal chaplain, a sign of the Marshal’s devout faith in the Emperor. He was also a man of strict routine and fixed ideas of how a war should be fought. He had commanded the 13th Palladius siege regiment during the long siege of Hive Thetis. It was the victory in that campaign that gave him the experience to run the war on Vraks.Marshall Kagori’s first task, after assembling his own staff, was to gather a force to relieve his beleaguered regiments. He needed to quickly break through the enemy’s blockade of the system, get new supplies and troops on the ground and re-establish the secure supply lines vital to bring the 88th siege army ultimate victory.The new commander would mark a change in the Imperium’s approach to Vraks. For him, the siege had already dragged on far too long. It was now time to commit more forces for and break the defenders once and for all. The siege regiments had done a good job in wearing the enemy down, now fresh troops and a fresh approach would crush them.To this end a relief force was gathered. First to be approached for forces was the forge world of Lucius. This mighty planet had strong connections with Krieg regiments and had provided many of the war materiels for the siege. The enemy’s Titans needed to be countered and destroyed and the Titans of Legio Astorum - the Warp Runners, were called upon. The venerable ruling lords of Lucius agreed. A battle group of Titans would be deployed to reinforce the siege regiments and provide the ultimate in heavy firepower. Only these Titans could hope to match the Chaos Traitor legions. Deep within their forge world base, the great war machines were once again prepared for battle. Ceremonies were performed, princeps and crews briefed and blessed. Exotic creatures were sacrificed and their blood used to anoint each Titan’s foot, symbolic that they would lay the blood of their enemies at the Emperor’s feet. Rites of battle complete, they embarked upon their transports for Vraks.Next, the regiments of Krieg would need a fresh injection of manpower and the production lines of regiments on Krieg was again called upon to provide it. More men, including many specialist engineer companies would be needed in greater numbers than ever. More men, guns and tanks were embarked for the journey to Vraks.The Imperial Navy would provide the ships and the protection for the relief convoy and also placed a fighter wing and a bomber wing at the service of 88th siege army. These would combat the enemy’s complete aerial supremacy and provide the army with the long range strike force it had so far lacked. The slow war of attrition was being upgraded to total war, using almost every means at the Imperium's disposal.