Badab War - A New Leader (906.M41): With the death of Red Scorpions Chapter Master and Loyalist Magister Militum Verant Ortys, the strategic initiative was temporarily delivered into the hands of the Secessionists, and raids against Imperial shipping increased. For a time the Loyalists were sorely pressed to hold what little ground they had taken in the Maelstrom Zone.The Pale Stars were all but entirely cut off and heavy Space Marine escort forces were required in order to maintain access to the worlds of Galen and Khygmara. The situation was finally eased with the arrival of contingents of the Howling Griffons, Novamarines, and later the Sons of Medusa Chapters, and the appointment of Carab Culln, the new lord high commander of the Red Scorpions as the new magister millitum of the Loyalist forces.As his Chapter defined such things, Culln had grown forthright, proud and above all fiercely loyal to the Red Scorpions during his illustrious career. For this reason Culln was viewed as the natural successor of Lord High Commander Verant Ortys. During the Badab War his transition to the position of lord high commander and magister militum after the death of Ortys on the world of Grief at the hands of the Renegade Astral Claws was greeted with wide acclaim by his battle-brothers and most importantly blessed by the Chapter's Chief Librarian Sevrin Loth, who oversaw the change of command and quelled any dissent.Culln's ascension had been contested primarily by the Fire Hawks Chapter Master, Stibor Lazaerek, who demanded that he instead should be granted overall command of the Loyalist forces in the conflict as magister militum due to his seniority and long, honourable service to the Imperium.As Ortys' successor, Culln was entitled to step into the mantle of his predecessor as magister militum and overall commander of the Loyalist forces, but this was by no means guaranteed. With the principal support of the Raptors and Salamanders Chapters, as well as his own impassioned pleas in the Loyalists' war council that he had the right of vengeance and the proven mettle required to see the war to its end, Culln secured the support of the Fire Angels and Novamarines for his command.Both the Sons of Medusa and the Marines Errant Chapters then agreed to his selection for reasons of their own. Despite some continued minor dissent, Carab Culln was acclaimed as the second magister militum of the Imperial Crusade to retake the Maelstrom Zone from the Secessionists.Culln quickly took control of the situation and brought forward plans to convert the old way-station on the largely abandoned Mining World of Hallows Point into the first primary Loyalist base and staging point in the Maelstrom Zone proper. With starships and materials moved into the system with great dispatch, "Vengeance Station" as it became known was fully operational in under a standard year.The Loyalists retook the offensive initiative even before Vengeance Station was completed. Soon a renewed phase of aggressive operations was ready to take place, with the Red Scorpions Chapter particularly eager for battle. However, their eagerness was tempered by their new master and the wise counsel of Chief Librarian Sevrin Loth, who promised their battle-brothers a bloody but carefully considered retribution.