Battle of Pelucidar
The Battle of Pelucidar was the first fleet engagement of the invasion of the Armageddon system during the Third Armageddon War. In it, Admiral Parol led his entire fleet against the invading Ork armada in a battle around the world of Pelucidar. Despite inflicting heavy losses, the Imperial Navy could not halt the Ork advance.[1a]
Prelude
The Third Armageddon War began in earnest when the Orks attacked Monitor Station Dante on the fringes of the Armageddon system. Station Dante was destroyed too quickly to get out much information, but the loss of contact was warning enough that the Orks had arrived in force.[1a][1b]
Ground forces in the surrounding systems were placed on alert as Admiral Parol, aboard his flagship His Will, led seven cruiser groups to intercept the invading Ork fleet over the world of Pelucidar.[1a]
The Battle Begins
Admiral Parol was under no illusions as to his chances: he simply could not beat an armada as vast as the one he was about to face. As the first line of defense, however, he felt forced to engage the Orks and delay them as long as possible to buy precious time for the defenders of Armageddon to prepare.[1a][1b]
Less than five days after leaving St. Jowen's Dock, the Imperial fleet engaged the leading elements of the Ork fleet. Parol used his battleships as bait, drawing in the Ork escorts while his faster cruisers used Pelucidar's gravity well to get to the Orks' flanks. The two battleships Triumph and His Will worked together with deadly efficiency, catching the Orks in a deadly crossfire from their lance batteries and destroying sixty Ork escorts with no Imperial losses.[1a]
Green Tide
Such success was not to last, however, as more and more Ork ships joined the battle. The fighting quickly degenerated into a chaotic, short-ranged brawl of the sort where Orks excel. Vast numbers of ships continued to enter the system, their numbers and suicidal charges stretching the Imperial line to the limit. The Armageddon Class Battlecruiser Thunderchild was the first ship lost, sacrificing itself so that the rest of its squadron could rally to His Will.[1a]
As losses mounted, Admiral Parol had his fleet rally around the Triumph as His Will charged forward to engage the first Ork hulk to enter the system, only to be bypassed by a large squadron of Kroozers that proceeded to attack, cripple, and board the Triumph.[1a]
Three more entire Ork fleets were detected entering the system even as the Triumph disengaged from the battle, forcing Admiral Parol to retreat with what was left of his forces and try to regroup. The Orks simply let them go, more interested in their main prize of Armageddon itself.[1a]
Aftermath
The attacking Ork armada was bloodied, but had barely been slowed, much less stopped. The battered remains of Parol's fleet could do little but watch helplessly as the Armageddon system was overrun.[1a]
Sources
- 1: Battlefleet Gothic Resources: Armada Appendices (accessed 2010.12.08)
