Welcome to Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum! Log in and join the community.

Ambush at Gnarion Reef

From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
Jump to: navigation, search
Ork armada.

The Ambush at Gnarion Reef was a battle during the Psychic Awakening.[1]

Overview

The battle was begun by the Space Wolves, who hoped to curb Ghazghkull's Great Waaagh!. The Grimbloods and Imperial Navy flotillas hoped to stop the Ork fleet near the Evraad System, but the sheer number of Greenskin vessels proved impossible to stop. Many of the Ork vessels were looted, with Tau and Eldar designs spotted under the flag of the Deathskulls. Every strike the Imperials made was an attempt to distract the Orks and draw them away from the vast shipyards of the Evraad System. Seizing such facilities would allow the Orks to construct huge fleets in a short span of time. Again and again the Imperials tried to lure the Orks away from their prize, but to no avail.[1]

At Port Vull, an entire squadron of Imperial Navy Battlecruisers were swamped by rampaging Orks who took the ships for themselves. In the Zagriusz Nebula, the Strike Cruiser Favoured of the Allfather and the Gladius Class Frigate Runehelm self-destructed to avoid the same fate. Even reinforcements from the Night Raptors and Dragonspears failed to lure the Ork fleet. As the Deathskulls drew ever close, Wolf Lord Kjarl Grimblood declared that his forces would have to meet the Orks head-on. The stand would be made at the Gnarion Reef, its numerous asteroids proving vital cover to Imperial vessels. With much argument, Grimblood secured every ship in the Evraad System, even those that remained unfinished. Soon, a trap was set.[1]

When the Orks reached the Reef, they found a vast sea of debris before them. They plunged their vessels into the debris, hoping to loot and capture. But among the field of scrap and asteroids lay ships merely dormant. With incredible discipline their crews watched as Orks began to loot their vessels. When the field of detritus was full of marauding Greenskin craft, the Battle Barge Axe of Russ stirred to life and unleashed a fearsome barrage on the unspecting Orks. More Imperial ships awakened in its wake, taking the Orks by complete surprise and devastating them. Fireships on high-speed rammed into Ork Cruiser formations, sending vast hunks of metal hurtling through the debris field and damaging their Escorts. From nearby asteroids, dagger-like Space Marine vessels struck at the Ork Roks and other large ships that had not entered Grimblood's trap. Space Wolves, Dragonspears, and Night Raptors raced to engage the foe, launching boarding operations to cripple Ork vessels. However sure enough the Greenskins were quick to respond as surprise wore off. Launching assault boats and teleportation strikes in retalation, the Greenskins unleashed Flash Gitz and Mega Armoured Nobz onto Imperial vessels. Some Nobz were clad in void-hardened armour, hurling themselves at nearby Imperial ships from hull-mounted catapults. The Axe of Russ itself soon came under direct assault. The Greenskin numbers began to make a difference. Grimblood entrusted his Shipmistress to wider fleet command while he oversaw specific counterattacks. The Ork Fleet had to be broken completely. For many more hours, he and his brothers made their stand while the wider battle hung in the balance.[1]

Sources