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Battle of Perditus

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Battle of Perditus
PerditusArea.jpg
Location of Perditus
Conflict Horus Heresy
Date ~009.M31
Location Perditus
Outcome Dark Angels obtain the Tuchulcha
Combatants
Iron Hands
Dark Angels
Mechanicum
Death Guard
Commanders
Primarch Lion El'Jonson
Iron Father Lasko Midoa
Magos Khir Doth Iaxis
Knight-Preceptor Vendrahel
Paladin Ennedreth
First Captain Calas Typhon
Centurion Kadus Brekkar
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties
Unknown Unknown

The Battle of Perditus was a clash during the Horus Heresy. The battle began when Iron Hands 98th Clan-Company led by Casalir Lorramech fought a Death Guard task force led by Calas Typhon to prevent them from claiming a powerful alien sentience on the Adeptus Mechanicus Research Station of Perditus. The Dark Angels under Lion El'Jonson eventually arrived to turn the tide.[1]

Overview

The main battle began when The Lion's forces, acting on intelligence from a nearby Astropathic message, interrupted the ground battle between the forces of Iron Hands Iron Father Lasko Midoa and Death Guard Captain Calas Typhon. The battle lasted 38 days on the planet before the Iron Hands spotted the Dark Angels making orbit, but they were not able to directly contact them through the comm-dampening. The Iron Hands then prepared to intercept the Death Guard ships in orbit while making an assault to take advantage of the situation, breaching the Death Guard ground defenses and taking one of their positions. This provoked Typhon, forcing them into acting while attempting to free the sentient engine known as the Tuchulcha. As the fighting began to intensify, they were stopped by the command of the Lion who declared the planet under his protection and for everyone to leave; both sides responded immediately and started to retreat. However, Typhon knew that there had to be a reason for the Lion to arrive so he tapped into the warp and the powers of his patron, the Father. Using psychic powers, he determined that the Dark Angels were using their librarians to cower the forces and so he used his own to protect the minds of his Grave Wardens. The Lion responded by ordering torpedoes to be launched.

As Typhon led the charge against the Iron Hands, he was informed that torpedoes were launched. This prompted Typhon to order a withdrawal then contacted the Dark Angels via vox. The Lion responded by ordering the Death Guard to pull back except for Typhon and his guards and await a parlay. The Lion landed with 1,000 of his men and he spoke with Midoa, Typhon, and the Mechanicum directly. The Lion came to High Magos Khir Doth Iaxis, Overseer of Magellix and Custodian of Tuchulcha, a man of only a meter in height, who then welcomed the Lion to the planet and asked the primarch to follow him into the facility. The Lion had Midoa and Typhon escorted elsewhere then proceeded to Tuchulcha's chamber.[1]

The Lion was taken to Tuchulcha deep beneath the surface, and he remembered when he slaughtered machine cultists who worshiped Tuchulcha the last time he was there. On the way, the Lion noticed that Iaxis had an electoo of a Ouraboros dragon eating its own tail, which Iaxis said was for the Order of the Dragon, a now defunct organization. Inside the chamber, the Lion found an orb 10.7 meters in diameter of an unknown material, Tuchulcha, and that it was watching him. Unlike before, the orb now had two protrusions, only a few centimeters in length, from each pole. A small boy servitor laid before the device with pipes connecting him to the machine, and through it Tuchulcha spoke. The Lion questioned it, surprised at its ability to communicate through the puppet and that it recognized him. The machine said that he was "the everything," was "everywhere," and "once Servant of the Deadly Seas" before becoming "Friend of the Mechanicum." The Lion responded that the machine was dangerous, but was told by Tuchulcha that he could not be destroyed because he did not truly desire to destroy the machine[1]

Tuchulcha then explained that the Lion caused him to be afraid. The Lion questioned how the machine knew of the battles above, and the it responded that his mind was able to touch theirs before saying that the Lion's mind touched him but it carried a heavy burden of guilt. The Lion questioned Iaxis as to the machine's use and why it was spared. Tuchulcha then demonstrated its teleportation power, shifting in to the throne room of the Invincible Reason and translated the whole ship into the warp. This prompted alarms to go off, and the act both appalled and surprised the Lion. The Lion questioned Tuchulcha how translation was possible being so close to the system's star, and Iaxis responded that the machine didn't have to worry about such concerns. The Lion decided that he had to be friends with the machine, and asked it politely to return them to real space around the planet.[1]

Corswain and the Lion discussed the nature of the situation and the parlay in his chambers. The Lion could not tell what Typhon's full agenda was, and he was unsure why the Iron Hands arrived and their legion was not as inconsequential as he once assumed. The primarch then met with the two commanders, where Typhon immediately verbally lashed out and was chastised. The Lion did not yet decide what to do and questioned them as to their purpose. Typhon responded that he came for the warp device to give to Horus, and then stated that it was expected that the Dark Angels would battle the Night Lords but would eventually come to Horus. The Lion responds by pointing out that Typhon does not mention Mortarion, and that Typhon served his own ambition. Additionally, it was not Horus who ordered Typhon there, and that Horus would not wish direct war with the Dark Angels.[1]

The Lion then turned to Midoa and questioned his purpose. Midoa explained that he was part of the 406th Expedition Fleet and was not part of the Drop Site Massacre. 6 months ago, they met with Ultramarines at Ojanus then dispatched by Guilliman to protect Perditus and the device from traitors. Midoa then said that he believed it should be taken to Macragge to be safe. Hearing both sides, the Lion then ordered that the planet be destroyed, which brought protest from both commanders. The Lion then pointed out that he too received a summon from Guilliman but that he did not trust the other primarch before sending the commanders off.

Midoa left for the Fastidious Prosecutor and Typhon for the Terminus Est. Fiana contacted the primarch to say they felt something burrowing through the warp to the planet. At the same time, the Invincible Reason prepared for combat as Typhon warped from the Terminus Est down to Tuchulcha's chamber. Once there, Typhon slaughtered the adepts and skitarii but was slowly feeling the effects of warp rotting his insides. Calming it, he entered the chamber and was about to kill a robed adept when the puppet asked him not to do so. The boy then told Typhon that there wasn't much time as the Lion arrived. Typhon offered Tuchulcha freedom but was laughed at in response, saying he was waiting for the Lion's return before forcing Typhon to be teleported back to the Terminus Est with his remaining men.[1]

Later, when Typhon was alone, he reflected that he failed in his mission, but realized that he did succeed when he noticed that he received a 3 blister mark of favor. On the Iron Hands's ship, Midoa told Lorramech that the Lion had a message for Guilliman: "I am coming." On the Invincible Reason, Tuchulchas and Iaxis were aboard and the planet destroyed. He knew that he had a power that would turn the Thramas Crusade and that Curze would soon be his with some careful planning, and he spoke to a shadow that could not be heard in response. He also expressed his concern that Guilliman was either misguided or a traitor, and that none could inherit the title Emperor. Ultimately, only mutual annihilation could prevent further war. The small, robed creature appeared from the shadow, and the Lion told it that it was too important to stop the conflict instead of fixing what was taking place on Caliban.[1]

Following the battle, the Dark Angels would pursue Typhon's fleet as the traitors left a trail of destroyed worlds in their wake.[2]

Battle of Umbral-51

The Battle of Umbral-51 was a sub-campaign of the greater Perditus Theatre. There, the Lion El'Jonson sought to claim the Mechanicus' relics on Perditus before the Iron Hands and Death Guard did. Vendrahel's command, which included the Order of the Broken Claws and the Legion's 79th Company, was sent to claim the relics in Umbral-51's archaeo-vaults. Despite the Primarch ordering them to stand down, the Iron Hands and Death Guard forces there had refused to stop fighting for the vaults. When his forces landed, however, it was the Traitor Legion that Vendrahel ordered his forces to attack. The Death Guard then began to overwhelmed, when Umbral 51's Mechanicus would unleash their Imperial Robots in order to kill all the invaders. While this led to the Death Guard's forces shattering, their commander and a few survivors were able to escape and raced to the vault's gates. Shortly afterwards, the Dark Angels were finally able to destroy the Imperial Robots and gave chase after the Traitors.[3]

Despite the Death Guard's head start, the Dark Angels reached them before they could open the vaults' gates. The two sides were then facing each other, when the Paladin Ennedreth stepped forward and challenged the Death Guard's commander to an honor duel. The Centurion Kadus Brekkar laughed at this and instead used his Chem-flamer to reduce Ennedreth's body to ash. This enraged Vendrahel and the Knight-Preceptor led the charge against the Death Guard. As their forces clashed, Brekkar fought Vendrahel for possession of the vaults. In the end, though, the Centurion was killed by the Knight-Preceptor and the Death Guard were destroyed as well. After the battle ended, Vendrahel knelt over Brekkar's body and whispered the names of the Dark Angels who had died. After adhering to his Order's rites of rememberance, Vendrahel met with Umbrals Mechanicus. The Tech-Priests then resentfully handed over their relics, after seeing that Vendrahel bore a seal of the pact between their two factions. Afterwards, the Order of the Order of the Broken Claws deemed Umbral-51 to be too dangerous to be left behind. They then planted clusters of Tectonic Bombs and ignited them upon leaving. This buried Umbral-51, its Tech-Priests and countless technological artefacts, under tonnes of metal and rock.[3]

Sources


Battles of the Horus Heresy
005-006.M31 Battle of Isstvan IIIFirst Battle of ProsperoWar Within the WebwayBattle of the Somnus CitadelUnrest on CalibanSchism of MarsBattle of DiamatDrop Site MassacreBattle of the Rangda SystemFirst Battle of ParamarManachean WarSignus CampaignTreachery at Advex-MorsSiege of CthoniaBattle for Felweather Keep‎
007-008.M31 Battle of PhallBattle of RavendelveRuin of MaerdanBattle of the Alaxxes NebulaPale Stars CampaignBreaking of the Perfect FortressChondax CampaignSecond Battle of ProsperoFirst Siege of Hydra CordatusBattle of the Furious AbyssBattle of CalthBattle of ArmaturaBetrayal at IthracaDeath of CanopusShadow CrusadeCrusade of IronDoom of BorminaDefence of TyrosDefence of the Three PlanetsBattle of UlixisAmbush at EspandorBattle of Aquila AtollBattle of Drooth IIPercepton CampaignBattle of IydrisThramas CrusadeFall of Baztel IIIBattle of VannaheimSecond Battle of ParamarBattle of Constanix IIMezoan CampaignBattle of BodtBattle of DwellErellian SubjugationSiege of Baal
009-010.M31 Battle of MolechBreaking of AnvillusXana IncursionCarnage of MoroxSangraal CampaignBattle of ArissakBattle of PerditusBattle of SothaDrussen AtrocityScouring of Gilden's StarBattle of NyrconBattle of TallarnCataclysm of IronBattle of NocturneWar of DrakesBattle of PlutoSiege of InwitBurning of Ohmn-MatBitter War
011-014.M31 Reaving of the Xibana ReachesLorin Alpha CampaignSubjugation of TyrinthMalagant ConflictBattle of the Kalium GateBattle of CatallusAxandrian IncidentBattle of the Haddon SystemJarrazr IncursionBattle of TralsakTarren SuppressionBalthor Sigma InterventionBattle of AbsolomScouring of the Ollanz ClusterBattle of ZepathSecond Battle of ZaramundBattle of AnuariBattle of PyrrhanSecond Battle of DavinArgolian MassacresBattle of TrisolianBattle of YarantBattle of KradeBattle of DelugeBattle of Heta-GladiusBattle of the Aragna ChainBattle of KallethBattle of the Diavanos SystemBattle of DesperationBattle of Beta-GarmonWar for AgaropsDefence of RyzaBattle of ThagriaPassage of AngelsThassos IncidentBattle of Zhao-ArkhadSerpent's CoilSiege of BarbarusForicaan CampaignBattle of VezdellBurning of VrexorDawn of DesolationDeath of ChemosBattle of Luth TyreYdursk IncidentFall of TenzebarSolar WarRaid on LunaSiege of TerraGreat Scouring