The battle in Dozier rages on. Blood is being spilled by the bucket. No quarter is given. Blades fall so quickly, no one has time to cry for mercy.
A daring raid by the Cabal of the Rictus Laugh extinguished the astropathic beacon. The Soul Drinkers responded as quickly as they could along their redoubt, but the surprise strike drew daemons of Phobos from the ether, hoping to feed on the souls of terrified psykers. Now aid looked for from abroad will be slower in coming. The boots on the ground and the ships in the air at this moment will be what determine the fate of the system. Hope is no longer in either sides' arsenal.
Meanwhile, a massive force of Vanguard Marines threw back the forces of Chaos who were daring enough to run the gauntlet of Strausheim's defenses. The Traitors fell like a thunderbolt, attacking one of the strongpoint defense fortresses on the capital's highway system. If they could break this place quickly, reinforcements would arrive. However, the Vanguards showed their resilience, playing the part of anvil and seeing the enemy broken on their lines.
The noble Blood Angels fended off the advances of the Dark Mechanicum's allies. Though the portal keys were there for the taking, The Lord of Death and his legion of tanks launched a precision strike that crippled recovery and salvage efforts and the portals remain dormant. Though other keys may still be hidden on Lush, the most obvious sets have been whisked away.
Genestealer cults, operating on Strausheim, continue to recruit heavily. Inquisitor Malkizadek has
dispatched his ork mercenaries to defend the resource gathering production on Janus. Thus far, they have held off a contingent of Red Corsairs. The Word Bearers have fallen on their old rivals, the Ultramarines, on Chordata, attempting to cut off the main food supply. They have overrun the surface defenses, but the loyalists have fallen back in good order, defending the avenues into the refineries. The Ghost Knights have fallen upon Tauros, reaping a fearsome tally amongst those they should be trying to save. Their war of attrition threatens to open up the capital to direct attack.
Dwarfing all these events is news arriving from an unnamed farseer who appeared in the middle of a war council of the loyalists with no warning. He spoke in a measured tone, "My... friends." The words came off his tongue with difficulty, as if he had to force them out. "Hear my words, for the danger is grave. I know you will not believe me in faith, but I must warn you. Your doom is here. It is already upon you, hanging in your sky. The conglomerate you call The Celestial Throne contains something from what you consider a long time ago. Your World Killers, your Fearsome Strike, your Exterminatus. In another time, the behemoth ate the peaceful turtle, and now these Teeth of Fire are waiting in its belly for those who would claim them. The forces of the Dark Gods are already searching for them. You must meet them head on."
It will be an expensive cost paid in the lives of those who believe in Dozier. The Imperials and their allies move to engage the core of the corsair fleets above the Celestial Throne. Meanwhile, the forces of destruction continue to search the corridors of each ship in the space hulk. They have been slowed significantly, however, by encountering a force of Tyranids. It seems a base of the cults operates out of the Throne, and incubators of bugs have begun to hatch to try to preserve their territory aboard the hulk. Whoever comes out ahead in these battles will likely pull ahead in the race for the fate of Dozier.
