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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
→The Mesmoch Deception
Necron phalanxes marched out to oppose the attack as the Imperial [[Battleship]] ''[[Triumph (Battleship)|Triumph]]'' unleashed an orbital bombardment on the Pylon itself. Despite a massive [[Lance]] attack, the pylon was undamaged due to [[Quantum Shielding]]. Ground attack thus became the only option to destroy the Pylon, but while the Space Marines had carved a path within a half-mile of the Pylon's base, the Imperial Guard were faltering due to its effects. The Necrons struck with [[Monolith]]s and [[Doomsday Ark]]s at this weak point in the Imperial attack and damaged the ''Deus Redemptor''. Only the Space Marines were able to prevent the defeat from becoming a full rout. Squad by squad they staged a fighting retreat, providing rearguard cover as Imperial forces limped back to their extraction zones. The Deathwatch Kill Teams [[Amaeus]] and [[Thannyr]] died to the last holding the Necrons back. A ferocious counterattack led by [[Marshal]] [[Ghehart]] of the Black Templars repulsed the Necron forces seeking to finish off the ''Deus Redemptor'' and saw horrible casualties on both sides. Evacuating Imperial transports were mauled by [[Doom Scythe]]s and [[Tomb Blade]]s. The attack on the Pylon had been a humiliating defeat.{{Fn|1a}}
By now, a massive fleet of Necron warships under [[Triarch]] and [[Szarekh]]'s proxy [[Hapthatra the Radiant]] swept from the void to oppose the Imperial attack on Mesmoch, drawn by the Imperial deception.{{Fn|11e}} Speaking through Hapthatra, Szarekh demanded the Imperial surrender and proclaimed the galaxy as the Necron's domain. Guilliman unsurprisingly refused the Necron demands and ordered a fighting withdrawal aiming to keep the xenos occupied while Cawl completed his mission at Planet 7/2.{{Fn|11g}} It soon became apparent that the Necrons intended to capture, not destroy, the Imperials in hopes of perhaps gaining Guilliman. Ordering the evacuation of the ''Dawn of Fire'', Guilliman stayed on board with a force of [[Custodes]] under [[Colquan]] to draw the Necron's attention.{{Fn|11h}} The ''Dawn of Fire'' was quickly disabled by the Necrons, who boarded the vessel with troops as Guilliman and his entourage finally begin to attempt to withdraw. [[Cato Sicarius]], commander of the [[Victrix Guard]], is able to destroy a [[Necron Lord]] to clear a path for Guilliman to flee as a gateway opens, revealing the Silent King Szarekh personally. Guilliman drew the [[Emperor's Sword]] and prepared for a fight, but was foiled by [[Illian NataseIlliyanne Natasé]], who closed the portal and allowed the group to escape as the ''Dawn of Fire'' is destroyed.{{Fn|11i}}{{Fn|11j}}
Meanwhile, Cawl oversaw the true Imperial objective: accompanying [[White Consuls]] Captain [[Vitrian Messinius]] and 426 recently-christened White Consuls [[Greyshield]]s to Planet 7/2 with [[Cameleoline]] masked [[Drop Pod]]s. Dropping undetected to the surface, even the Space Marines were effected by the properties of the Nexus but nonetheless were able to move towards the central Necron control pyramid.{{Fn|11d}} Fighting their way inside the pyramid against swarms of [[Canoptek Construct]]s, Cawl personally interfaced with the pyramid in a bid to shut down the local pylon network and flood it with dataphages.{{Fn|11f}} Cawl was eventually successful in completing his task as the Space Marines took heavy casualties, but the the pariah veil lifted across Imperial forces in the region.{{Fn|11i}} Cawl revealed that the pyramid was actually a [[Pharos]] device, and used it to teleport himself and the surviving Space Marines to their nearby [[Strike Cruiser]]. Cawl's mission had been successful in disrupting the Nexus, but the losses to the Imperials at Mesmoch and Paradyce had been devastating.{{Fn|11j}}
