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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
Replaced all "battlegroup" with "battle group" for standardisation
===The Crusade Underway===
In the revised plan the first fleet to see action was ''[[Indomitus Crusade Fleet Tertius|Fleet Tertius]]'' under Fleetmaster [[Cassandra VanLeskus]], which took [[Olmec]]{{Fn|19}} and battled the [[Khornate]] [[Crusade of Slaughter]] in the [[Sol System]]. The fleet continued on into [[Segmentum Pacificus]] and then arced into [[Segmentum Tempestus]].{{Fn|7}} Fleet Secundus set out next, its ranks spearheaded by the [[Battle Sister]]s of the [[Order of the Ebon Chalice]] and the [[Order of Our Martyred Lady]] and engaged the forces of Chaos in [[Segmentum Obscurus]] in a campaign dubbed the [[Road of Martyrs]]. Fleet Primus under Guilliman himself left the Sol System third, taking with it the largest compliment of [[Ultima Founding]] [[Primaris Space Marines]] of the [[Unnumbered Sons|Greyshields]] as well as Belisarius Cawl aboard the ''[[Zar Quaesitor]]''. It set out not upon a single heading but instead diverged into several spearheads that further fractured as they spread out from Terra. Wherever the Battlegroups Battle groups of Fleet Primus surged into the fight they drove back the hordes of heretics and xenos that threatened to overrun Mankind. The first major victory of Fleet Primus would come at the [[Battle of Gathalamor]]{{Fn|19}}, though they soon became bogged down for several years clearing out the [[Solar Incursion|Word Bearers from Segmentum Solar]].{{Fn|28a}} [[Fleet Quintus]] was eventually able to depart, but was beaten to the prize of [[Lessira]] by the lead elements of Fleet Tertius.{{Fn|19}}
Of all the Indomitus Crusade Fleets, Fleet Septimus (the 7th) alone was commanded to gather far from the Sol System. The exact location of its mustering point was kept a heavily guarded secret, known only to Roboute Guilliman himself and his inner circle. How large or small those battlegroups battle groups were, what forces were assigned to them, and what Fleet Septimus’ veiled purpose might be, none could be sure. Those assigned to the seventh fleet simply vanished, leaving nothing behind them but dark speculation and persistent rumours of onyx-chased [[servo skull]]s that drifted through the shadows clutching high level-clearance data scrolls in their metallic claws.{{Fn|7}}
Gaining momentum, the Indomitus Crusade pushed a path through system after system. Daemon hordes were driven back from [[Gathalamor]], the [[Drogos System]] and [[Tallarn]]. In the [[Lhorm Reaches]], the [[Brass Tyrant]] was defeated. The entire population of [[Ophelia VII]] was freed from the enslavement of the [[Tyrant of Blueflame]], although the Greater Daemon escaped. Word of the crusade's approach alone was enough to quell the rebellion on [[Necromunda (planet)|Necromunda]]. By the time the Crusade reached [[Catachan]], all of the Chaos forces had already been defeated by the local [[Catachan Jungle Fighter]]s [[Regiment]]s. At Catachan, the Crusade halted for reinforcement and resupply and, despite heavy losses, the Indomitus fleet was larger when it departed Catachan than it had been when it first left Terra. As the Indomitus Crusade worked its way outwards from Terra, the worst effects of the Great Rift were already lifting across many [[sector]]s. Although warp storms still drifted out of the Great Rift, the Astronomican was slowly burning away the taint of the warp throughout the galactic south. Many citizens that survived the cruel oppression of daemonic hordes saw divine correlation between the two events. Those that glimpsed the Primarch firsthand whispered that they had seen the Emperor himself. Word of the Primarch erupted across the galaxy, revitalizing the Imperium's morale.{{Fn|5}}
By the 5th year of the Indomitus Crusade the impetus of the earlier struggle had bled away and many Battle Groups now found themselves mired in expanding warzones. With each new threat that was extinguished, several more took their place. The slow reconquest was not universal, but nonetheless large areas of the Imperium in the galactic south were now outright safe is not safeguarded by the presence of Guilliman's armada. [[Battle Group Thetera]] of [[Fleet Octus]] was able to cross the [[Veiled Region]] and relieve [[Bakka]]. By this point, the [[Nephilim Sector]] and the [[Necron]] [[Pariah Nexus]] had become a major problem for the Imperium and subsequently became a major area of fighting. Several other major war zones erupted, such as the [[Plague Wars]] in [[Ultramar]], the [[Word Bearers]] uprisings in [[Segmentum Solar]], increased [[Ork]] activity in [[Segmentum Tempestus]], the [[Tau Fifth Sphere of Expansion]], the [[Charadon Campaign]], and the [[Nachmund Rift War]]. While the feared [[Chaos]] assault on Terra never came, the [[Traitor Legion]]s became more active and unified then ever, often with [[Daemon Primarch]]s at their head. Besides the usual Xenos and Chaos threats, within Imperium Nihilus Humanity faced renewed attacks by more esoteric enemies such as the [[Hrud]] and [[Enslaver]]s. There were even reports of breakout attempts by the infamous [[Barghesi]].{{Fn|25}}
Around this same time, supply became a major issue for the Indomitus Crusade. Despite the network of [[Hub-Fortress]]es and the formation of the [[Officio Logisticarum]], supplying the many Crusade Battlegroups Battle groups proved beyond even Guilliman's logistical mastery. In desperate need of men and material, Crusade fleets were often forced to requisition supplies from newly liberated worlds. This sometimes created local discontent, as was infamously the case in the [[Ironhold Protectorate]].{{Fn|25}}
===Transition===
==Organization==
[[Image:IndomitusGroup.jpg|thumb|right|Organization Organisation of a typical Indomitus Crusade BattlegroupBattle group]]
Despite being under the overall command of Roboute Guilliman, the Indomitus Crusade did not operate as a single force. Rather, it was a massive ever-growing fleet divided into many formations that varied greatly in size and makeup. Each of these Fleets had their own [[Space Marine]], [[Imperial Guard]], [[Imperial Navy]], [[Adeptus Mechanicus]], [[Sisters of Battle]], [[Sisters of Silence]], and [[Adeptus Custodes]] detachments. Supporting these were support groups from the [[Adeptus Arbites]], [[Inquisition]], [[Officio Assassinorum]], and [[Ecclesiarchy]]. The Fleets were identified by number, such as ''[[Fleet Primus]]'', ''[[Fleet Secundus]]'', ''[[Fleet Tertius]]'', and so on and fell under the command of a [[Fleetmaster]].{{Fn|7}} There are currently 10 known Battlefleets, each of which is massive. The size of Fleet Primus alone surpasses that of all Imperial forces gathered in the [[Macharian Crusade]].{{Fn|15c}}
Each of these fleets was in turn divided into a number of BattlegroupsBattle groups, identified as ''Battlegroup Battle group Alphus'', ''Battlegroup Battle group Betaris'', ''Battlegroup Battle group Cerastus'', etc. each under the command of a Groupmaster.{{Fn|7}} How many Battlegroups Battle groups each fleet has is unknown, though it is stated that [[Fleet Tertius]] consisted of 16.{{Fn|28b}} Though each battlegroup battle group was part of a greater fleet, they were designed to be independent and self-sufficient. Battlegroups Battle groups would answer to their corresponding Fleetmaster for strategic direction, but otherwise investigated and initiated their own campaigns. The third level of the Crusade was the Task Force, which were specialized military groupings that were assembled on the order of a Groupmaster. They were intended to achieve the conquest of specific worlds or defense platforms, the couriering of vital messages through the vastness of space, the destruction of specific enemies who had been marked for death, and whatever other important tasks had to be achieved. Each Task Force had within it a specialized force known as [[Torchbearers]]. This consisted of Sisters of Silence, 1 squad of Custodes, and a conclave of [[Magos Biologis]]. These acted as the direct emissaries of Guilliman and would transfer new Primaris Space Marine technology and [[Gene-Seed]] to cutoff Space Marine Chapters.{{Fn|7}}
Each Indomitus Crusade Fleet was initially organised right down to a regimental level by Roboute Guilliman. However, the Primarch had to accept that his painstaking organisational work would not long survive contact with the war-torn galaxy. He thus provided fleetmasters and groupmasters alike with powers of requisition to rival those of even the most domineering [[Lord Inquisitor]]. To facilitate and resupply this great undertaking, Guilliman created the [[Officio Logisticarum]].{{Fn|7}} The Officio Logisticarum itself is based out of [[Hub-Fortress]]es, which are periodically established on worlds in the wake of the Crusade.{{Fn|9}}
