Imperial Swords: Decimation

After repelling an eldar pirate attack in the Ghoul Stars region.  Imperial Swords fleet pick up a distress signal from a vessel claimed to be in the service of the Adeptus Mechanicus.   The Imperial Swords dispatched ships to investigate.    The scouting party returned a distress signal stating that they were under attack and require assistance. The remaining Imperial Swords fleet then mobilized their entire fleet to assist their the scout vessel.

After a brief period of space travel, the fleet arrived at where the distress signal originated from.   A sudden warp storm then pulled the entire fleet into it and deposit them into an unknown part of space.   There they found the remaining ships that they initially sent to investigate the signal to be largely intact.  After some probing, they discovered that they were in a star system with a variety of planets.  Long range sensors picked up one planet which harbored an advanced  civilization. 

When the Imperial Swords approached closer to the system, they discovered that the planet was already under attack by a Tyranid splinter fleet.  The local inhabitants turned out to be a highly advanced human civilization.    The Adeptus Mechanicus and Imperial Swords Scouting party which was thought to be lost in the warp arrived here some months ago due to temporal disruption in space time continuum.    Along with the local inhabitants known as the Neo Terrans, they put up a strong defense against the Tyranid Splinter fleet.

The Imperial Swords then made planet fall to assist the defenders in repelling the Tyranid invasion force.   The allied force of advance humans and forces of imperium held off the Tyranids but an arrival of a 2^nd splinter fleet proved too much for the Neo-Terrans and their Imperium allies.  The defenders were slowly pushed back from every front and it would not be long before they would be overwhelmed by the voracious Tyranid invasion force.

Although advance, the Neo-Terrans did not possess any starships capable of warp travel or of sufficient speed to outrun the Tyranid fleet.  They had arrived to this planet in ancient times via massive hibernation ships.   

To ensure the survival of their people, the Neo Terran Leaders pleaded the Imperium forces to allow the use of their ships to evacuate the planet.

The Imperial Swords agreed on the basis only if the Neo-Terrans would pledge fealty and be part of the Imperium.   The Adeptus Mechanicus only agreed after the Neo-Terrans agree to give them access to their technology.  Threaten with extinction of their civilization, the Neo Terrans readily agreed.   

The Adeptus Mechanicus later discovered that the Neo-Terrans possess ancient STC dating as far back to the Dark Age of Technology.

Evacuation was well under-way.   But the Tyranid hive fleet had already advanced faster than the Imperium expected.   Hive ships were found blockading the higher orbit of the planet.

The Imperial Swords fleet engaged the Tyranid hive ships long enough for the civilians and the Adeptus Mechanicus to evacuate.  However, Imperium forces were severely overwhelmed and the Imperial Sword took heavy casualties during the course of the battle.   Up to forty percent of their forces were wiped out in Space Engagement. 

The Imperium ships finally made orbit and prepared to enter warp jump.   However the Tyranid hive ships continue to harass the Imperium forces relentlessly.   It was then decided that the STC recovered on the planet was too important to be lost.  The surviving Imperial Sword fleet sacrificed themselves to protect the Adeptus Mechanicus vessel. 

The Imperium Forces managed to escape but was dropped out onto an unknown part of space, by then are left with only ten percent of their overall strength.  Many of their vessels sustained heavy damage and their life support was failing.    

The survivors were eventually discovered by Tau Exploration Fleet with complements of military vessels.   The Tau offered to “rescue” the Imperium Forces should they submit to the Greater Good.  The Imperial Swords refused and would rather face slow death.   In a strange twist of event, the Tau space vessels towed the damaged Imperium vessels towards Imperial Space and left them there.    It is of no doubt a manipulative plan by the Tau to turn loyal followers of the Imperium over to the “Greater Good”. 

This was later to become the secret shame of the Imperial Swords.  The Imperium Forces was found some weeks later by Rogue Trader exploration fleet and were eventually rescued.   By then the Imperial Swords numbers had reduced to only a mere thirty Space Marines due to the failing life support systems.  Several space marines had sacrificed their lives for the Neo-Terrans to honor their agreement.  

The Adeptus Mechanicus returned to the Forgeworld with their newly recovered STC, grateful for the Imperial Swords & the Rogue Trader’s assistance.  The Neo-Terrans and the Imperial Swords were eventually absorbed into Rogue Trader exploration fleet as part of their assets and forces.

The Exploration fleet eventually discovered an inhabitable world dubbed by the explorers as Neo-Terra Secundus.  There the settlers found hostile indigenous lifeforms on the planet and the Imperial Swords assisted the settlers in establishing a foothold on the planet.

Out of these thirty space marines, ten remained on Neo-Terra Secundus to watch over the populace.   The Neo-Terrans in the gratitude of their rescue, pledge themselves to the service of the Space Marine Chapter.   The strongest of their male child to be given to the Imperial Swords to be trained as Space Marines.

Another ten stayed with the Exploration fleet and served as honor guard for the Rogue Trader expeditionary leader, grateful for the Exploration fleet’s rescue.   The remaining ten Space Marines wandered the galaxy, seeking means to restore their Chapter to their former strength.