Karrus Campaign; The first Defence of Karskug

 

Our Karrus Campaign starts today! We have been planning this for so long It is ridiculous. This is a prologue to the main advance into the Karrus sector and sets the scene a bit. Hopefully you will see the battle report in the next few days. Please enjoy a bit of narrative in the meantime. - Drake Seta

The door to the the Strategium slid open slowly belying the urgency of the entrant whom burst into the room as soon as the opening could allow his solid frame, his Cyber-mastif as ever three paces behind him sniffing the air and looking for threats. Lights and sirens filled the darkness in the console and personnel busy room. He made his way with haste to the main tactical Hololith which showed a large sphere which was instantly recognisable as Karskug, dutiful Servitors paused in their duties to allow him past. The four personnel around the station snapped salutes or bowed as he approached; General Verus, Flight Captain Sherroi and Councillor Amenius. 

'I hope this is some kind of joke' Lord Govenor Karskug announced to the delegation as he flicked his eyes around the room to the Hubbub. 

'No my lord' responded General Verus with a solemn shake of the head as he rested his large hands on the control table, 'I am afraid it is not.'

'They have not come this far south before, we were not expecting this advance for another decade or so.' The Lord Govenor said looking to the vastly increasing numbers of vessels with every passing minute. Each one was quickly given a signifier by the Cogitator stacks and checked for identification. About an eighth of them were highlighted red and given no known reference or name, their kind never seen by the Imperium of man. Another twenty percent had been sited by picket ships or perimeter defence ships as they ran reconnaissance into the northern Karrus Sector, several of the crude vessels had even had their pseudonyms identified from hull markings on previous encounters; Blud-Gasha, Kosmo Cutta and Sta Deff to name a few. 

'We know Lord' said Sherroi, 'Captain Tynus has put the picket fleet to standby but we know their numbers cannot hope to stop this attack.' The Flight Captain turned his attention to General Verus, 'I'm sorry General, the Kine will make planetfall.'

The gaunt general stood straight and meshed his fingers in front of his face as he stared in defiance and incredulity at the force arriving piecemeal from the Warp. The Cogitator ticked a counter up with every new blip, a best guessed estimation of the amount of Greenskins that would be carried upon these wrecks and chained asteroid landing craft. The number beggared belief. 

'Fifty years,' the Govenor growled, the eyes of the assembly turned to him 'Fifty damn years I have been charged with this planet. Fifty years since Lord Fulgrim himself gave me stewardship of this world, and a bunch of war hungry crude barbarian pigs have come to try to take this world from our Lord Emperor.' He began pacing whilst staring at the Hololith, the Senior officers present knew best when to let the ex-frontline General keep take his own counsel. He paused his pacing and tousled his hounds head, which watched him with a sad whine as if sensing his mood, 'looks like my military career isn't over after all.'

'Send for an Astropath, he is to drop everything and come here immediately,' he said to a message runner who stood dutifully nearby as the fate of their world was being decided, the boy nodded and sprinted off. 

He turned back to the table, his mood instantly changed as he stood straighter, 'Councillor; the Kine like a good fight and so we will give them one. Concentrate on getting the Citizens of Karskug into defendable locations such as the underground tram networks, the genesis sub-hives and try to make use of inactive reservoirs where possible too. Where these aren't available local PDF forces WILL secure a safe zone,' he turned his attention to the General who dipped his head in agreement. 'Councillor, there will be some hard choices coming, you should be prepared that we may not be able to save as many citizens as we would like.'

'We are strong, we will overcome,' the indigenous Councillor said holding her hand to her chest.

'Dismissed,' he said to her with a nod and she left the room. 

'Flight Captain; have Old' Tynus give them the run around. I want him to harry the Greenskins up there and destroy any stragglers aiming to make planetfall. I want him to pick his fights logically and to try to not lose any ships needlessly. I know the old man would like to pitch his fleet in open battle but this is to not happen, he is outnumbered and outgunned, as he well knows.'

'Understood,' Sherroi said straightening his jacket. 

'Good, I want him to carryout hit and run tactics but that is all I insist upon, he can use his judgement after that. Sherroi, I want your fighter wings to be ready to fly within the hour, we will try hard to keep your airbases clear. Your Flight Captains will need to issue orders based on updated intelligence every hour, destroy as many of their asteroid landers and troop carriers that you possibly can within the opening stages and ramp up your anti-air support at the airbases, the Planetary Caches are to have AA content split fifty:fifty between your airbases and the PDF.'

'-Lord I must protest!' General Verus interrupted 'We will need that anti-air, our troops will be under heavy fire from their damned fliers!'

'I know Verus, but I am intending on drawing these Ork Squadrons to our Airbases, Sherroi has fought Greenskin pilots before and they absolutely love a good air battle, we are counting on that.'

'If those are your orders,' The rotund General responded meeting his eyes.

'They are,' he responded measuredly. 'General; I want you to fortify as many towns and cities as you can, forget the homesteads and villages as we also hope the Kine do too. We will need to form a cordon around each active military airbase, Garrison, barracks and Outpost. We need to hold out.'

'Hold out for what?' The General said as the doors slid open again to allow the runner and a figure in robes. 

'Astropath; use my identifiers and broadcast your voice. Karskug is under attack from a huge Ork advance, it may be the precursor to the advance from the Karrus sector. We need Fifty regiments to reinforce our system including the Sector fleet.' He turned his face back to the Hololith, green light bathing his features as more icons appeared at the mandaville point, 'failing that; send a Legion.'