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One of the last battles of the Unification Wars, the battle took place in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasus Caucasus] against the mutated eugenicist warlords of the [[Ethnarchy]]. While few in number compared to other remaining anti-Imperial factions, the Ethnarchy's forces were based on scores of relic-technologies and terrible weapons from the [[Dark Age of Technology]]. They also deployed an army of genetically augmented warriors known as the [[Ur-Khasis]], roughly analogous to the [[Emperor]]'s own [[Thunder Warrior]]s.{{Fn|1}}

Hold Holed up in strongholds deep in hollowed out mountains and shielded by [[Power field]] generators, the attempt by Imperial forces to take the Ethnarchy's strongholds earlier in the war had met with disaster. 10,000 Thunder Warriors and more than a million other troops were lost. Now in his hour of vengeance the Emperor deployed forces from six proto-[[Space Marine Legion]]s for the operation along with the [[Custodian Guard]] (led by the Emperor himself), and other tributary armies. Of all of these, the Emperor trusted the 20,000-strong XVIIIth Legion with the most important duty, leading the assault on the Ethnarchy's power generators in [[Termite]] burrowing vehicles. Known as the Tempest Galleries, these generators were located deep underground.{{Fn|1}}

Almost four-fifth fifths of the taskforce managed to survive the dangerous underground journey to their objective, but there they were confronted by ancient automated sentry guards dating back to the Dark Age of Technology. Incredibly strong and built to withstand volcanic firestorms, thousands of these automatons deployed against the XVIIIth. Worse still, their armour could not be penetrated by [[Bolter]]s, [[Meltagun]]s, or [[Plasma gun]]s. Only massive kinetic force applied at close range against their joints caused any damage. Against these terrifying foes the XVIIIth held out with a mixture of stoic resistance and suicidal fury.{{Fn|1}}

The XVIIIth survived by fighting from gallery to gallery, collapsing tunnels as they went. The Legionaries were able to gather weapons and spare parts from downed enemy robots and soon learned where to rip out these sentries ' command systems. Soon a stalemate had been achieved, but less than a third of the XVIIIth 's original number remained, but while the sentries were still reproducing via automated factories. Realizing Realising they needed a quick solution, the remainder of the Legion made one final desperate attack to cripple the central power transmission nod.{{Fn|1}}

The first division attacked other locations to confuse the enemy, while the second would launch an attack on the central power nod itself. It was estimated that few would survive among the second assault force, and its members were selected by lottery. When the time for the assault came, the Legionaries swept forward with improvised melee weapons. The fighting was savage, but the XVIIIth 's plan was working and after slow torturous fighting the second assault force found its way to the central power nod but a vast beast-machine appeared. The greatest of all the automatons of the Tempest Galleries, it dwarfed even an [[Imperial Titan]]. Faced with what was now certain death, the day was saved when the distraction assault group managed to gain control of one of the enemies tunneling-spheres and crash it into the gigantic monstrosity, sacrificing their lives to destroy it. The ensuing explosion destroyed the central power nod, and also the governing [[Machine Spirit]] controlling the automated sentries.{{Fn|1}}

By this point days had passed, and on the surface few Imperial commanders believed the XVIIIth had survived. But the Emperor stubbornly insisted that his sons had not failed him. Soon enough the power fields around the Ethnarchy's strongholds failed and the full force of the Emperor's wrath fell upon them. However , while victorious, in the aftermath of the campaign only 1,000 of the original 20,000 XVIII Legion remained.{{Fn|1}}