The Liber Cluster

[Aegnor]

I reckon a chapter of Space Marines could take down a full forge world. They probably couldn't if they marched up to the active Titan Legion presence and tried to take them down in a straight gun-fight, but that would be pretty awful strategy on the part of the marines.

[Wade Garrett]

Well, Abaddon had considerably more than a Chapter's worth of Astartes, plus millions of Lost and Damned trying to break open the Mechanicum world of Crythe in Soul Hunter , and he wasn't having an easy time of it at all.

 

And this was with the bulk of the planet's Titan Legion engaged elsewhere.

[deathspectersgt7]

DSS - There's a couple of factors you may need to take into account: The forge world will have standing Mechanicus forces and facilities that it's Lion affiliated leaders would use for defence. That is going to make matters far, far harder than what's depicted atm. Also, the topography of the world (and the depth of the hell-forges) is going to prove a challenge.

I know That  so far they have lost almost 75 brothers 2 Captains Forced to Consalidate their postion . Plus not done yet .They may not even make off the planet . After all IT is a trap.

 

Plus this is the first time I have done anything like this.  give a old man a break 

[TDF]

+++Liniam+++
During the first settlement of the Liber Cluster Liniam was a typical gamma-class world. During the Silence its closest Forge World, Geius Prime, was lost to the forces of darkness. The technological capability of Liniam began to decay over the following centuries until it was approached by representatives of the Saneslau Mechanicum. The exact terms offered are not known, but it is clear that they were refused; Liniam continued its fall into Feudal World levels of technology. Despite this, however, its soldiers were able to repel an Ork invasion in c.830.M35, driving the surviving xenos into the untamed mountains and forests of the northern continents. Feral Ork raids happen annually to this day, but they are kept in check by the sacrifices of the Liniam Ork Hunter PDF regiments.

Liniam gladly rejoined the Imperium of Man in 084.M36 during the Liber Reconquest Campaign. The Magos of the reclaimed Geius Prime have begun to re-establish gamma-level technology on Liniam, but the population have become deeply distrustful of the Adeptus Mechanicus and prefer the tried-and-tested technology that carried them through the Silence.


+++Liniamite Volunteers+++
These are the regiments tithed to the Astra Militarum by Liniam. Although most of the fighting men are poorly trained conscripts from the cities, each regiment contains at least one company of volunteers from the Ork Hunter regiments. These men show great skill at tracking and ambushing their enemies – particularly in forested or mountainous terrain. Nevertheless, the overall poor discipline and low quality weapons (typically Liniam-pattern autoguns) and equipment of the Liniamite regiments mean they are not viewed highly by Imperial High Command. They are usually assigned garrison or second-line duty and are only specifically requested if numerous bodies are required for meat-grinder missions.



A sniper from a Liniamite Ork Hunter company. Note the leather and cloth armour and the Liniam-pattern single-shot sniper rifle. The man is shown drinking from a hip flask; Ork Hunters believe that the alcoholic beverage schnelka improves their aim and performance under fire. Generations of commissars have been unable to stamp out this belief.



Extracted from:
Imperatoris Aurea Sphaera: A Definitive Record of the Worlds of the Liber Cluster and the Inhabitants Thereof
Father Henrik Glausendorf

___________________________
Edit: Layout

[Teetengee]

@DSS: I think, when it is written up in full, you should have someone or several someones remark that it is easier than they expected, because trap.

[helterskelter]

Brothers an apology must be made, I've got some ye olde real world issue s that require taking care of, so I won't be about for a bit, many more apologies

[Conn Eremon]

Brothers an apology must be made, I've got some ye olde real world issue s that require taking care of, so I won't be about for a bit, many more apologies

No need to apologize, we all know how life can be. Deal with what is more important, we will still be here when you return.

[Sanguine_Knight]

+++++The Suppression of the Thravian System+++++

 

 

Upon arrival to the planet Thravis Prime, the Black Falcons Sixth Company assisted by two squads of First Company veterans found that communications with the planet as well as the rest of the system had fallen completely silent. Led by First Captain Reinhardt they made planetfall outside the Capitol city of Lanholm. They soon found a gruesome scene. Piles of bodies left to rot out in the open, many mutilated beyond recognition. Upon further inspection they discovered that the wounds in the corpses had been made by Astartes weapons. Reinhardt ordered the bodies to be burned and had Sixth perform systematic sweeps of the cities buildings, most of which were still intact. Upon reaching the Governor's Palace, they were surprised to be greeted by a squad of Marines from the Fourth Company, who led Reinhardt to where Captain Therrien was waiting.

Reinhardt confronted the wayward Captain and discovered that he and the Fourth had carried out a months long campaign of terror upon the citizens of not only Thravis Prime, but the entire system. The Marines would perform nightly raids on major cities causing terror and panic. Often people would turn on each other in fear and desperation. To show evidence that the system had turned on the Imperium, Therrien presented the bodies of several high ranking officers within the Sereiki Lions. It is not known at this time wich factions these officers belonged to. Although the evidence of the Thravian System's treachery was overwhelming, Captain Reinhardt was furious at tactics used by Therrien. Captain Dransk of the Sixth had to intervene as heated words almost came to blows. Reinhardt ordered Therrien and the Fourth to regroup aboard their Strike Cruiser Osprey and return to The Chapter for judgement. Therrien refused and produced s captured communicae from the Lions to their operatives on Thravis Prime. It said three words... We are coming...

 

More to come.

[Tiberius Cato]

"First blood goes to the Sentinels, Brother-Captain!"

exclaimed one of the Astartes nearby Biddale.

 

"Excellent. Prepare the thunderhawks, we must make due haste to the defense platforms!" Biddale turned to Brother-Captain Grant "Take five squads with you, brother. That should be more than enough; you will attack Laure. Before making planetfall wait for my command, we must take all measures necessary to ensure we hold the defense platforms."

 

"Aye, brother. It shall be done. Let us take up arms now, we can't let the Sentinels have all the fun! May the Emperor be with you, brother-captain."

Grant than voxed for the squads he wished to accompany him and boarded his thunderhawk.

 

Biddale in turn boarded his thunderhawk and voxed for his team "Squads Lee, Miller, Nicholson, Brooks, and Alford report in". Each squad reported in turn "You will all accompany me to the defense platform on Terua, once we take it you will all stay behind to hold down the platform so that the Scarlet Sentinels may bring the might of their fleet to bear against these rebels. They will assist us in bringing this planet under the care of the Imperium, brining us one step close to uniting this cluster in the Emperor's name! Let us take up arms! One Imperium, under the Emperor!" The strike teams then left the hangar, making their way towards the defense platforms.

++++++++++++++++++++++

"Bring the ship about portside, we have fighters attempting to flank us!" yelled Commodore- captain Drake.

"Show them what it means to forsake the Emperor's light!"

 

The crew flawlessly maneuvered the ship, catching the fighter squadron's off guard and subsequently obliterating them.

 

"Commodore, shall we press closer to open a hole for the Eagles to punch through to the defense platforms?" questioned Chaplain Charlen

 

"Absolutely, signal the fleet to assemble in a wedge formation, we will break the line and open a hole for the Eagles." confirmed Commodore-Captain Drake

 

Almost instantly the fleet had begun maneuvering into formation.

 

"Sir, the fleet is ready" explained Charlen

 

"Good, when I give the word we will charge."

[Sanguine_Knight]

How do I get the banner for The Liber Cluster?

[Dizzyeye01]

You just copy and paste the picture into your signature :)

[Sanguine_Knight]

Thanks... I'm not really savvy on some of this stuff. :-)

[Olis]

Seeing as we haven't seen the promethean for a while, does anyone want to pick up his tasks? Iirc, there is a section of an IA to fill out and a collaboration to do (although I'd say the IA is the most pressing concern as the collaboration is a two-man thing). 

[Astus]

Don't worry everyone I'm still alive, through a combination of being busy and an annoying condition to do with writing, I'm still attempting to make progress on both of those projects.

 

The IA section is proving trickiest, I'm really struggling to get my ideas about the Blades of the Lion down. I should be able to get at least the vignette ready sometime soon.

 

Thanks for the concern Olis. :)

 

And unfortunately this weekend will be busy for me, with no access to my laptop for most of it.

[deathspectersgt7]

Will finish up on the All-Seers attack on the Forge world this weekend.Want to pose this ? would it be possible that there are traitors In the Cluster Command giving Twelveman advance warning of the Attack?

[Olis]

Don't worry everyone I'm still alive,

 

Thank the Emperor! I thought you'd dropped off the face of the earth! :lol:

[Ace Debonair]

Alright, so I've been writing this out piecemeal for the last few days.

 

It's a bit long, so my apologies.

 

 

-=-=-= The Battle of Venet =-=-=-

 

The Imperial attack on Venet was deemed a complete disaster by the peers of all those involved.

 

When Imperial intelligence reported information about the presence of Deipollus (a prolific member of the renegade Lions of Sereiki) on Venet, the Imperial forces in the Liber Cluster reacted with perhaps undue haste.

However, the renegade Space Marine was defended only by a single squad of his brothers, and otherwise surrounded by raw recruits sent to Venet for training. It was an opportunity that could not be allowed to slip away - the death of Deipollus would be a telling blow against the Lions of Sereiki.

 

The two closest Imperial forces were the 4th Brotherhood of the Heralds of Letum, led by Captain Keldier, and the Aetheric Swords' Second Company, under the leadership of Captain Herivax. Accompanied by a small detachment of Battlefleet Yamatus, a local Imperial Navy force, the two Companies of Space Marines raced onward towards the planet, eager to strike a blow for the Imperium against these vile enemies.

 

Venet's orbital defences were seemingly caught unaware - though they fought with all their might, the few small ships arrayed against Battlefleet Yamatus' ships were destroyed or routed with minimal damage to the Imperial vessels.

 

The Aetheric Swords and Heralds of Letum were firmly opposed to working together on the attack, Captain Keldier denouncing the Swords as 'witch-led and weak', while Captain Herivax of the Aetheric Swords looked upon the Heralds as a bad omen.

 

Both forces of Space Marines deployed separately, storming into the vast military compound where Deipollus waited for them from two different sides.

 

The initial battle was straightforward enough for both Chapters. The Heralds were able to blast apart the thin outer walls of the compound with one of their ancient Caestus Assault Rams and three Stormtalon gunships, allowing the Company's assault marines to advance quickly and secure the breach for the main body of their infantry. The Aetheric Swords likewise tore through the outer wall, this offence led by Captain Herivax's Land Raider.

 

 

Once both Companies were within the compound, however, things changed for the worse.

 

As both Companies pressed forward towards the main encampment, they noticed themselves hard-pressed not by raw recruits, but by several regiments of Coyotes, supported here and there by squads of veteran Ash Wolves. These wily veterans baited the Aetheric Swords' forces into a narrow gap between two rows of barracks, which had been rigged with copious amounts of explosives. Fifteen Space Marines trying to use the barracks for cover were lost in the ensuing explosions.

 

The remnants of the Venet Light Infantry, now casting their lot with the Lions, also proved to be a thorn in the Imperial forces' sides. Accompanied by a squad of the famed and feared Kodiak warriors, they flanked the Heralds of Letum's main infantry force, forcing them to halt their advance. When the Heralds' numerous aircraft swung around to provide support, they were greeted by hails of fire from the Venet Light Infantry's Flak Rocket squads. Though the rockets were fairly primitive, weight of fire managed to destroy one Stormtalon and a Stomraven, as well as disabling the engines of the Caestus, causing the blessed vehicle to plunge heavily into the floor. The resulting impact caused irreparable damage to the fallen Caestus.

 

Despite inflicting horrific casualties on the massed enemies, the two Chapters found themselves hard-pressed by the sheer numbers of Coyotes facing them. Combined with the ruthless cunning employed by the Ash Wolves lurking in their midst, who would strike only when a Marine was isolated, injured, or otherwise in dire straits, many loyalist Astartes lost their lives.

 

In desperation, both Chapters made a push to bring their forces together, striking out across the base. It proved an ill-advised move, as more and more Coyotes seemed to swarm the battlefield, subjecting the Loyalists to unending hails of fire.

 

By the time the two Chapters were able to consolidate their forces, each Company was down to sixty or fewer space Marines. Captain Herivax led a bold charge in his Land Raider, hoping to erase the Venet Flak Rocket squads and give the Heralds total domination of the skies.

 

His Land Raider took a Lascannon hit as it reached the lines of Coyotes - Deipollus and his squad had arrived on the battlefield. Ash Wolves and the Kodiak squad advanced on the beleaguered tank, boarding it and planting as many explosives as they could.

 

Captain Keldier was torn between aiding Herivax or targeting Deipollus, but knowing the Librarian Orivax was aboard the Land Raider, he led the remaining marines against Deipollus, who promptly dropped back through the ranks and ranks of Coyotes pushing forward.

 

The two Chapters, each stubbornly still keeping a distance from each other, were surrounded now, the Coyotes supported by 'Pitbull' tanks that took a terrible toll on the loyalists.

 

As Captain Herivax and his men struggled to fight their way out of their damaged Land Raider, the explosives in and around it were detonated, killing all within but the Captain. Herivax, bloodied and battered, threw himself headlong into the enemy lines as a last act of defiance. He eventually went down to sheer weight of enemy fire, taking scores of enemies with him.

 

The remaining loyalists made a push for Deipollus and his squad. Deipollus had secured himself within a solid bunker, but the Herald's remaining Caestus Assault Ram, in an act of heroic courage, collided with the near wall, forcing a breach and giving Keldier and his men their chance to assault the traitor. The Caestus was disabled by enemy fire before it could withdraw, leaving two Stormtalons, a Stormraven and two Storm Eagles to provide air support.

 

 

 

Despite being assaulted by fresh waves of Coyotes, Captain Keldier and a handful of Heralds met Deipollus and his squad in open battle within the bunker. Despite their wounds, the Heralds of Letum struck down the renegades, but even this victory was not enough to turn the tide of the battle. The Heralds lost their two Storm Eagles to sustained enemy fire.

 

One of the Heralds' Stormtalons took a fatal hit and crashed outside of the compound. The pilot, still alive, was instructed by Captain Keldier, to get off-world however he could, and take word to the other Liber Chapters.

 

It was to be the last known command given by Keldier. It isn't known how he perished, but what is clear is that the battle ended swiftly in favour of the Lions of Sereiki after his death.

 

The solitary pilot who escaped the massacre was recovered by Battlefleet Yamatus and returned to Libitum to report what had happened to his brothers and later the Liber Council.

 

-=-=-=-=-=

tl;dr - The two Companies of loyalists walk into a trap, get torn apart and slaughtered, and only one guy gets back out alive.

 

He tells everyone else what happened, and may or may not slant things so that the fault is solely on the Aetheric Swords.

 

 

Very much open to C&C, since it's certainly too long and probably a bit dull.

 

EDIT:

MOAR PLANES

 

[Olis]

I think, with the slew of reversals and defeats going on with the first offensive into the Eighteen Worlds, I'd like to see you get your man even if the attacking force is ambushed and destroyed. Kind of a pyrrhic victory. 

[Teetengee]

I agree with Olis, some victory would probably be good, these are a huge number of astartes after all. I might also like to see some huge enemy casualties amongst the coyotes. (Not enough to really impact them, but on the order of 5-10 per marine at least.) Also, pet peeve of mine but still, 60 or fewer, not 60 or less (unless of course it is done differently across the pond.).

[Olis]

I might also like to see some huge enemy casualties amongst the coyotes. (Not enough to really impact them, but on the order of 5-10 per marine at least.) 

 

Five or ten? More like twenty or thirty, if there's enough bodies to go around. ;)

[Teetengee]

Definitely, just wanted to establish a lower bound. Also, any thoughts on my landing action story from anyone? Particularly Aegnor, for the purpose of continuing that story.

[Ace Debonair]

Basically, the Swords and Heralds need to do more damage on the way down. Got it.

I'll get to work on editing my above post soon.

 

With regards to the sixty or less/fewer, I don't mind changing it. Fewer sounds a bit more professional anyway!

[Olis]

Definitely, just wanted to establish a lower bound. Also, any thoughts on my landing action story from anyone? Particularly Aegnor, for the purpose of continuing that story.

 

It's not bad. It does need going over with a fine-toothed comb to iron out any grammatical issues, though.

[Ace Debonair]

Edited it!

 

Now the loyalists take a good few more enemies with them on the way down.

 

Hopefully that's a bit more like it!

[Teetengee]

Comb (or brush if that's your fancy) away.

I like the edits Ace.