Changes

The ensuing war rapidly became a war of attrition as the lush jungles provided infinite cover for the guerrilla patrols commanded by Voor, as opposed to the scarce knowledge of the ground possessed by the regular Imperial forces. The perimeter of Rophanon City (the world's capital) was heavily entrenched as both sides called for reinforcements and neither was able to break the siege one way or another. Three years passed. In 993.M40, Blythe was contacted by an [[Inquisitor]] of the [[Ordo Xenos]], warning him that strands of what would become known in later years as [[Hive Fleet Leviathan]] were approaching the [[galaxy]] from below the ecliptic plane and were headed through, among other systems, the Protean Ebb. Hearing this news, Blythe is said to have grinned a lopsided and grim smile and pronounced the following words: "I'll have them both then, Voor and the xenos at once. They can spend themselves in their bloody embrace." Three days later, the strategy encompassing Blythe's statement was announced: the Imperial forces would use Rophanon as bait, luring part of the [[Hive Fleet]] into the system. Once in the system, [[Tyranid]] efforts would be spent in preying on Voor's rebel forces, effectively ending the three-year-old state of attrition.

Two stages were crucial: the commitment of as many [[bio-ship]]s as possible and the full extraction of the loyalist regiments. As regards the first, [[Imperial Navy]] fleets engaged the bio-ships of Hive Fleet Leviathan in an ever-growing series of hit and run attacks and boarding actions (most of which were executed by [[Deathwatch]] [[kill-team]]s) which succeeded in drawing the xenos' attention. On Rophanon itself, Blythe successfully disengaged from Voor's forces and, most importantly, without leaving a clue of what really was going to happen to the doomed planet.