54
edits
Changes
From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
m
→Overview
Desperation was found to be more heavily defended than expected, with a fleet nearly the equal of Odinathus' own where the Chapter Master had intended to outnumber the enemy by fifty percent. The Imperial fleet divided into three battlegroups, two pairs of [[strike cruiser]]s accompanied by small craft attempting to draw the defenders into spreading their line to allow the [[Grulgor Assault Barque]]s and the two largest strike cruisers to deliver a crippling attack at short range. The Night Lords fleet, lacking cohesive command, reacted unexpectedly by making no attempt to defend the planet - some ships fled the system, while the other overwhelmed the two smaller battlegroups. Crippling and boarding the ''Amaranthine Vigil'' and ''Heart of Valour'', the Night Lords were able to escape envelopment and take refuge behind Desperation's conjoined moons.{{fn|1}}
Moving into orbit above Desperation, the Imperial fleet took heavy damage from orbital defence batteries sited within population centres to discourage orbital suppression. [[Destroyer Marine|Destroyer]] elements of the UltrmarinesUltramarines' 22nd "[[Nemesis]]" Chapter and [[Ursarax]] cohorts of the [[Taghmata Omnissiah|Taghmata]] [[Gulgorahd]] prioritised these targets in the initial assaults. [[Endros Shek]] and his [[Terror Squad]]s slaughtered the population, draping the hive towers in the skin of the population by the time the first Ultramarine craft landed. The Night Lords had prepared the [[hive]] cities with ambushes and sabotage, bringing down entire hive towers on top of the Imperial forces as the fleet in orbit launched continuous raids on isolated or slow vessels. Unable to suppress the raids in orbit while supporting their troops of the surface, the Imperial forces began to lose the initiative on both fronts.{{fn|1}}
===The Ashen Claw===
