Unlike many such Chaos attacks up to that point, the defenders of Orar were far from taken awaresunawares. In fact, an entire battlegroup,{{Fn|2}} led by [[Imperial Navy Captain |Captain]] [[Compel Bast]] on the [[Mars Class Battlecruiser]] ''[[Imperious]]'' {{Fn|1}}, was preparing to leave orbit to help put down a rebellion in a nearby system and was already on full alert. They easily avoided the raiders' initial volleys and launched a vicious counter-attack.{{Fn|2}}

Losses were extremely heavy for the traitor fleet as they tried to escape: the [[Slaughter Class Cruiser]] ''[[Soulless]]'' was crippled by a [[Nova Cannon]] hit from the ''Imperious'' and then destroyed by [[lance]] fire; a second Slaughter, the ''[[Deathskull (Ship)|Deathskull]]'', was reduced to a hulk by [[bomber]]s from the ''Imperious'' and was destroyed as it fell out of orbit{{Fn|1}}; even Arkham's own flagship, the ''[[Deathbane]]'', had its bridge smashed by fire from the ''[[Iron Duke]]''.{{Fn|2}}

*{{Endn|2}}: [http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?catId=cat1290319&categoryId=1100007&section=&aId=4300022 Battlefleet Gothic Resources: 41st MilleniumMillennium], pg. 94 (accessed 2010.11.24)