Siege of Hades Hive
"We were still winning when the siege of Hades began. And we kept winning. But there came a moment [...], where every ork on Armaeddon realised that we should have won by now. [...] Yarrick, though... When that old bastard took over, things were different. He didn't have enough of any of the things he needed to keep us out of Hades, but still he managed it. 'Cos he knew he had to hold out. That was his reality, and he was too stubborn to let anything change that - even Ghazghkull."
| |||
Even though Ghazghkull eventually managed to largely destroy Hades Hive, he was unable to fully conquer it or kill Yarrick; the siege was broken by an Imperial relief force. Afterward, the Ork war effort quickly collapsed, and Ghazghkull fled Armageddon.
Contents
Prelude
In the time leading up to the Second War for Armageddon, Commissar Sebastian Yarrick was stationed on Armageddon and was one of the few local leaders who took the warnings of a major Ork invasion seriously. Opposing the incompetent leadership of the planetary governor, Overlord Herman von Strab, Yarrick was effectively banished to Hades Hive on the eastern continent of Armageddon Secundus.[1][5a]
Once Ghazghkull's invasion began in 941.M41, his massive armies swiftly overran most of the western continent of Armageddon Prime and subsequently advanced into Armageddon Secundus.[1][2a] Aside of some delaying actions, the Imperials were unable to halt the Ork invasion. Finally, Ghazghkull's forces reached the borders of Hades Hive where Yarrick declared his intention to halt the Xenos at all costs.[1][2a][5b] In the leadup of the siege, the commissar bolstered the local defenses and integrated units retreating from the west, such as the 4th Armageddon Regiment, into the garrison.[5b]
Siege
Start of a legendary rivalry
Soon, Hades Hive was under siege, and the hardest fighting began. Commissar Yarrick was organising the defences of Hades Hive and he seemed to be everywhere at this time. He would be at the welding shut of the great blast portals, inspiring the people to take up arms,[1] and planning counter-siege operations. As the Orks began to probe the hive's outer defenses, Yarrick organized two major suprise attacks on the Xenos besiegers to the north and the west; he personally led the latter force.[5b] At this point, Ghazghkull ordered one of his "best and baddest" bosses, Ugulhard of the Snakebites, to crush the resistance at Hades Hive. As Ugulhard led an assault and Yarrick led a counter-attack, the two met in personal combat.[6] In a legendary duel, the commissar killed the Ork warboss and took his Power Klaw for his own use.[4b][5b][6] This event made him famous among Imperials and Orks alike.[2b][6]
Yarrick went on to negotiate treaties with Hades Hives' crime lords, enlisting their gangs into his armed forces.[1][5c] Ultimately, nearly the entire population of the hive was under arms. He continued to set up traps, luring the Orks into killing fields and mined areas by launching diversionary attacks.[5c] Yet by this point, Ghazghkull himself had arrived to take personal command of the siege.[1]
Ghazghkull's first major attempt was to drop General Straturgum's elite Blood Axes kommandos onto the spires of the hive. They were to be delivered with a large fleet of Evil Sunz bommerz and provided with the best equipment avialable to the Orks.[1][2b] The operation was well timed, as part of the Imperial garrison was outside the hive center to conduct counter-attacks against Ork siege lines.[5c] Furthermore, Ghazghkull knew that Hades Hive did not have enough anti-air guns to stop the attack. Yet Yarrick surprised everyone by ordering his regular artillery to start shooting into their air as well; the closely packed armada Ork aircraft was utterly destroyed,[2b] and Yarrick personally led kill teams which hunted the kommandos who managed to land at all.[5c] He had the maintenance crews go into the ventilation shafts, armed with a bolt pistol and knife, and attack the kommandos as they came down. None of the kommandos survived.[1]
Upon being informed of Yarrick's tactical actions, Ghazghkull became utterly furious and even cursed the commissar; the first opponent who had ever managed to drive the warlord to this point. From this point onward, Yarrick was Ghazghkull's grod, a fated rival and favorite enemy; at the time, it caused Ghazghkull to obsess over the siege of Hades Hive and he began to focus on it to the detriment of all other war zones.[2b]
Stalemate
For months, Ghazghkull tried every strategy he could think of, and was told of by Gork and Mork, to break Hades Hive. He personally joined the fighting, killing countless Imperial Guard troopers. Nothing worked,[1][3] as a stalemate developed.[4a] When the Orks massed heavy artillery, Yarrick ordered near-suicidal assaults by selected Imperial units to eliminate major Ork guns positions; these attacks achieved surprise under the Season of Storms' ash clouds and managed to destroy much heavy equipment. These operations also eliminated many Ork flakk guns, allowing some non-essential personal to be evacuated to Hive Acheron.[5d]
Fighting continued, with Ghazghkull continuously trying new strategies and Yarrick constantly foiling them. Gargants pounded the hive with their biggest guns. The hive transport infrastructure was used to counter-feint attacks and suicide parties kept slipping out to destroy the huge siege weaponry. Yet the Imperial garrison suffered; the people survived on rats and roaches and on reduced power.[1] Similarly, enthusiasm was on the wane among the besiegers; Ghazghkull secretly felt abandoned by the gods over his failure to take Hades Hive, slipping into a kind of depression and pondering a potential defeat. Though he maintained a confident facade among his followers, including the Counsill of Clan-Bosses, they instinctively sensed that something was going wrong.[2b]
Ending
As the siege of Hades Hive continued, Imperial reinforcements arrived at Armageddon. Several Space Marine Chapters landed, helping to defeat an attempt by the Orks to capture Hive Acheron before swarming out to counter-attack across Armageddon Secundus.[2b][5d] Even though it was clear to the Ork leadership that this counter-offensive was a massive threat, Ghazghkull initially acted as before, still trying to break Hades Hive. His banner waver, Makari, speculated that the Warlord "simply couldn't leave it unbroken" even if his war effort was doomed.[2b]
Indeed, even as the Imperials regained the initiative in other regions, the Orks finally managed to overcome Hades Hive's defenses. At this point, the city had run out of food and was largely ruined.[1] A two-pronged relief operation was mounted from Hive Acheron, with Commander Dante of the Blood Angels leading a swift task force exclusively of Space Marines -mainly Blood Angels and Ultramarines- to rush to Hades Hive. Another, mixed force of Armageddon Steel Legion units and Space Marines followed.[5e] By the time these reinforcements reached the city, it had largely fallen under Ork control, with fighting still continuing in the Underhive.[2b][5e] In these last hours of the battle, Ghazghkull reportedly nearly killed Yarrick in personal combat, though the latter survived.[3] Ultimately, the reinforcements broke the besiegers and rescued the few human survivors of the hive, including the battered Commissar Yarrick.[1][4a]
Aftermath
After the failure at Hades Hive, Ghazghkull knew that he had lost the Second War for Armageddon.[2b] He continued to organize large offensives, notably against Tartarus Hive and Skeletus River,[1][2b] but already planned to leave the planet which he later did alongside his advisors.[2b] His remaining forces remained behind, continuing to resist for a substantial time.[3]
Imperial order of battle
Hades Hive garrison
- Armageddon Steel Legion[6] - several regiments[3]
- Tempestus Scions[6]
- Armageddon Defence Force[5b]
- Armageddon Hive Militia[5b]
- Hades Hive gangs[1][5b]
Relief force
Sources
- 1: Epic Armageddon Rulebook, pgs. 63-67
- 2: Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! (Novel)
- 3: Codex: Orks (4th Edition), pgs. 21-23
- 4: Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition)
- 5: Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon:
- 6: Hammer and Bolter (Anthology Series) - Old Bale Eye
Uncited
 |
