THERE IS ONLY WAR CONFLICTS OF THE 41ST MILLENIUM “WHATEVER HAPPENS, YOU WILL NOT BE MISSED” THE THIRD ARMAGEDDON WAR 941.M41 - THE THIRD ARMAGEDDON WAR The Third Armageddon War is nothing less than the greatest Ork menace ever known. Ghazghkull had failed to invade that accursed world once before, and returned with a new plan and new determination to avoid repeating his mistakes. A terrible time was about to begin... THE LEGACY OF WAR Parol on board His Will, accompanied by three THE BATTLE OF first line cruiser squadrons. Acknowledging the The Second Armageddon War, Ghazghkull’s first PELUCIDAR invasion of that ill-fated planet, had cost the Admiral’s seniority and greater experience, For Parol, perhaps feeling the pressure as the Imperium dearly. As the Imperium finally Captain Honyaeger transferred command of the first line of defence against this greatest of repelled the Ork invaders, their forces pushed fleet to Parol and, for a short time, the threats, Pelucidar presented a quandary. The outwards to reclaim worlds and systems which depredations of the Ork pirates abated. Orks’ inevitable goal would be to land on had been cut off for years, finding most of them This all changed, almost overnight, as the Chosin, Armageddon and the host of other to be little more than smouldering wrecks. piratical raids turned into full blown planetary populated planets in the system. Here, amidst Rebuilding even a tiny portion of the carnage assaults of several minor systems. the far less appealing gas giants and barren wreaked by the Orks would stretch the super-planets of the outer reaches might well be Imperium’s resources to the limit. More THE GREEN TIDE the only chance the Imperium would get to fully pressingly, ensuring a sturdy defence during this engage the Ork fleet. On the other hand, even time, to guard against further opportunistic APPROACHES the few garbled messages received from Dante attacks, would be a tall order with the depleted, The Third Armageddon War began in earnest station were enough to tell him that victory dilapidated and demoralised forces now when the Ork fleet re-entered normal space at would not come against such a numerous available to the Imperium. The Apocalypse class the very fringes of the Armageddon system, enemy. Regardless, perhaps feeling the burden battleship, Triumph, was brought into converging immediately on Monitor Station of hope placed upon him, Parol felt forced to Battlefleet Armageddon in 951.M41 and, Dante, one of three stations specially designed commit his entire fleet to an action staged between the wars, served as the flagship of the to guard against just such an attack. Dante around Pelucidar. defence fleet under Captain Honyaeger. The survived barely long enough to open a communications channel, let alone broadcast a Triumph proved to be the bane of many pirate Within five days of leaving St. Jowen’s Dock, the distress signal, but for the defenders of fleets keen to take advantage of any weakness in Imperial fleet had encountered leading Armageddon, already convinced that attack was the Imperial Navy. Amassing an impressive roll elements of the Ork fleet, decoying enemy inevitable, the breakdown in such of honour, the Triumph became the symbol of escorts with the battleships as the faster moving communications was all the proof they needed the Emperor’s Will within the sub-sector. Imperial cruisers used Pelucidar’s gravity well that Ghazghkull had returned. to swing around the Orks’ flanks. A generation later, when further Ork attacks on While the ground forces in Armageddon and its systems surrounding Armageddon started to The Triumph and His Will worked in concert, neighbouring systems were placed on high drastically cut the amount of merchant shipping combining their fearsome lance armament to alert, preparations were made for deep space voyaging to the main system, the Triumph and create a lethal web of firepower that no Ork conflict. Admiral Parol, commanding the fleet other ships of the Imperial Navy found vessel could survive for long. Over sixty enemy from his flagship His Will, led seven cruiser themselves stretched to breaking point. There escorts were blasted apart for no loss on the groups against the invading Ork fleet, were simply too few ships to cover so much Imperial side. As more and more Ork ships intercepting them close to the high-gravity space and it was the merchant transports that joined battle though, combat degenerated into world of Pelucidar. were feeling the effect. An appeal for a chaotic brawl of the sort Orks excel in. As the reinforcements was met by the arrival of Admiral bulk of the alien fleet moved further into the ARMADA 130 THE THIRD ARMAGEDDON WAR Armageddon system, the Imperial ships suffered In the event, the Orks seemed to care little for intense. I was forced to divert many teams to aid greatly as the Orks’ combined numbers and the Imperial fleet, obviously viewing a fleeing in the defence of the reactors for fear that the suicidal rushes threatened to overwhelm the enemy as good as a destroyed one and instead Dock could be lost altogether if they succeeded Naval line. The battlecruiser, Thunderchild, was sped forward as fast as they could towards the in their attack, though this allowed many of the first to fall, its Captain bravely deciding to glittering jewel of Armageddon itself. Parol and their number to sweep unopposed through to fight on whilst crippled rather than disengage, in his captains watched on, helpless as their some of our upper decks. We now have the order that the rest of his squadron could rally system was overrun. Orks somewhat under control, but we have lost around the battleship His Will. almost all contact with the lower decks and A WORLD SHUDDERS must consider them enemy held territory. We As more and more cruiser squadrons started to First to feel the wrath of the Ork fleets was the have the manpower to halt any further advance suffer losses, Admiral Parol ordered the Triumph sector naval facility of St. Jowen’s Dock, as now that the fleets have moved passed us and to keep station so that the Imperial fleet had a facility commander, Captain Starrkos, recorded begun their main assault, but we will never be stable rallying point. The Admiral took His Will in a transmission to Admiral Parol in the days able to clear the infestation unaided“. forward to join the engagement of the first Ork after Pelucidar: hulk to enter the pitched battle. Almost Although at first report Parol was mildly immediately, an oversized squadron of kroozers “I must now report on our own situation here relieved to hear the fate of St. Jowen’s Dock, took advantage of the break in the Imperial line on St. Jowen’s Dock. As the Ork fleet swept past escaping, as it had, complete destruction at the and surged forward, taking little damage from your line, we prepared for multiple boarding hands of the Orks, he quickly realised that their His Will’s long ranged broadside fire, before actions but, incredibly, the Orks opted for dismissal of the stations importance was in fact bracketing the Triumph and bombarding her simple bombardment. Few enemy vessels an even more damning blow to the Imperium’s with massed fire. Triumph’s shields failed within attempted orbit of our dock, preferring instead efforts. If the Orks had no intention of seconds and its ancient hull was soon battered to simply unload ammunition into our hull as spreading their green curse across the entire by crude but heavy Ork weaponry. As the they continued their headlong rush towards system, the sheer scale of invasion which was kroozers moved closer to the battleship, a series Armageddon itself. I feel that we were in no way Armageddon was about to face must be even of boarding attempts by attack craft and a target for them – St. Jowen’s Dock was just in larger than previously feared, Parol reasoned. teleporters took the battle into the very heart of their way. Still, ever the calm strategist, even amidst these the Triumph, where its crewmen fought valiantly hopeless opening defeats of the war, this chain hand-to-hand against the Orks. As crew were Over ninety percent of our surface defences of events nurtured some hope in Parol. If the diverted from their main duties to fight the were destroyed in the first seven hours of the Orks, apparently under direct instruction to do boarders, the kroozers in the void outside found attack, negating our ability to strike back at the nothing more than bombard St. Jowen’s Dock, it easier to continue their bombardment of the invaders. Soon after, enemy assault boats were could still not resist their barbaric urge to close increasingly sluggish Triumph, heedless of the launched. There was nothing co-ordinated in and tussle with the enemy, perhaps their actions lives of the Orks they had already sent to board their assault and many of my bridge officers could be as much of his making as their the battleship. have formed the opinion that the many master’s. A strategy of divide and conquer was boarding craft that left the launch bays of rapidly becoming the Imperium’s last hope. Captain Honyaeger was pained by the onslaught passing Terror Ships were the result of poor his ship had suffered and reluctantly gave the discipline amongst the aliens. Simply put, we TO RECLAIM THE STARS... order to disengage from combat, a feat he barely believe we were finally boarded by Orks that While Parol remained distant from the conflict, managed in his crippled vessel.