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Battle of Machorta Sound

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Battle of Machorta Sound
Conflict Indomitus Crusade/Crusade of Slaughter
Date Early M42
Location Machorta Sound, Segmentum Pacificus
Outcome Imperial victory
Combatants
Imperium Chaos
Commanders
Fleetmaster Cassandra VanLeskus
Commodore Eloise Athagey
Inquisitor Rostov
Captain Messinius
Lieutenant Ferren Areios
Daemon Prince of Khorne (KIA)
Strength
5 Imperial Navy Battlegroups
Space Marines
Large fleet
Millions of Daemons
Chaos Space Marines
8 Word Bearers Dark Apostles
Casualties
Heavy All killed or fled

The Battle of Machorta Sound was an early battle of the Indomitus Crusade.[1]

Engaging the Crusade of Slaughter in the Machorta Sound of Segmentum Pacificus, the Imperial Crusade Fleet Tertius under Fleetmaster Cassandra VanLeskus sought to foil an attempt by the Khornate Crusade of Slaughter to increase the Great Rift into Segmentum Solar with a Blackstone device. Thanks to a Xenos device provided by Inquisitor Rostov, the Navigator Scolos EvHaverad was able to track the Khornate fleet to its precise location. Though Scolos died in the process, the Imperial fleet was able to emerge directly on top of the Khornate armada.[2]

The Imperial fleet was split into two segments. The first was 4 Battlegroups under VanLeskus which engaged the primary Khornate armada led by the Grand Cruiser Blood King. Meanwhile Battlegroup Saint Aster under Commodore Eloise Athagey ambushed the Khornate Blackstone device. The device itself was a massive temple complex mounted on an asteroid towed by the Daemonship Hellship.[2]

VanLeskus' fleet battled the Khornate vessels and millions of Daemons which emerged from the nearby Rift, a boarding assault of Primaris Space Marines under Ferren Areios was launched at the Blood King. In their first true battle, Areios' Primaris Marines were able to fight their way to the command bridge of the vessel. On the bridge they found a statue, which soon began to move and revealed itself as a Daemon Prince with a massive cannon fused to its right arm. The Daemon tore through the Primaris marines and badly wounded Areios, though ultimately thanks to the arrival of Aggressor reinforcements the Ultramarines Lieutenant was able to slay the creature.[2a]

Meanwhile, Athagey's battlegroup assailed the Blackstone device. Athagey's command ship Saint Aster was trapped within the crocodilian maw of the Hellship and boarded by countless Daemons. However a boarding party led by White Consuls Captain Messinius and Inquisitor Rostov were able to land on the asteroid. After fighting through hordes of Daemons and Word Bearers Dark Apostles, Messinius and Rostov were able to implant a Necron Liquid Metal device onto the core of the Blackstone machine. The device reversed the effect of the Blackstone, and instead of amplifying the warp a massive null wave swept through the fleet, causing the millions of Daemons to dissipate and rolling back the Great Rift a great distance. Combined with the death of the Daemon Prince aboard the Blood King, the Crusade of Slaughter was shattered.[2b]

The battle was the first major victory of the Indomitus Crusade and blunted the advance of the Crusade of Slaughter. Her lesser commanders and Groupmasters earned individual triumphs, but it was VanLeskus who was recognized as the architect of the victory. Any critics of Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade were soon put to rest by the victory.[1]

Sources