–I am Alpharius.
–I am Alpharius.
–We are all Alpharius.
–We are Alpha Legion, and we are all one.

 – Alpha Legion Litany

+++

Finally, the Imperial forces received sporadic news from inside Crataegus Fragmentum where the Thorn Moons Crusade had been unfolding for months on end. Communications had been absent for almost as long. Not a single message from inside the region had been picked up since the first encounters of the Crusade had been briefed during the Imperial autumn.

Now, even though the Imperial Calendar spoke of spring, deep winter was holding its tight grip on the region. It was as if Crataegus Fragmentum itself had turned into weather, a maelstrom of iron sleet. Ferocious, ravaging weather making any communication between worlds impossible.

Storms had been tearing through the region engulfing even outlying Rogue Trader stations in the Rift sending shock waves through those parts of the Imperium. The world seemed to be holding its breath.

+++

The sporadic messages that now made it to the outside world spoke of early attacks on many of the boreal Thorn Moons in the region. Out of the hundreds of smaller spearhead attacks the massive surprise attack on Lintear, 7th Moon, was of particular importance and early communications had already been picked up before the winter storms had set in.

They spoke of Lintear as a moon-sized vault placed deep in a boreal sub-region surrounded by a dozen smaller defence moons. Apparently, it had contained valuable information about how to enter the Green Gates on Crataegus, 1st Library Moon, itself. Even though Lintear had been safeguarded by the Green Mechanicvm together with one of the most accomplished of the Elder Ones and his Crataegus Legionaires the ferocity of the attacking Space Wolves had been too overwhelming and the information had fallen into the hands of the wolf men.

The new messages picked up by Imperial forces in the Rift spoke of something unexpected:

While ferociuos battles between the Space Wolves and the Crataegus Legionaires were ravaging the Northern parts of Lintear, where even Aurora lights had been blocked out by heavy, grey clouds that lay over its hemispheres, other adversaries had made it to the moon in an attempt to get to the information inside the Moon Vault.

On the flanks of the attack Alpha Legionaires, allies of the Crataegus Legion, had appeared from the shadows of the forests to wreak silent havoc on a surprising foe – a shock attack group of the elusive Tau, which had made moon fall under the cover of winter and the raging battles of the north.

A group of Alpha Legionaires make it trough one of the Holloways on Lintear

The Alpha Legionaires closing in on the elusive Tau

The Tau shock attack force on Lintear

The Alpha Legionaires in a heated firefight with the powerful Tau

The Tau attack had been brutal and swift and the counter attack by the Alpha Legion had been as deadly. After a fierce fight both the Tau and the Alpha Legionaires left Lintear as quickly as they had appeared. From out of the shadows and into the darkness of winter – just before the moon itself was turned into a wasteland by the Space Wolves, who left with knowledge about how to navigate to Gheal, 3rd Moon. Knowledge that in turn could lead them to the Daerwynne Palimpsest itself!

+++

This is, finally, the second part of the attack on Lintear, 7th Moon, during the Thorn Moons Crusade played out in a blaring San Francisco summer last year!

It has been a while since we last wrote about the Crusade itself, but we thought that we owe it to ourselves and you to showcase some of the greatest moments during the Crusade – an endeavor that took most of a year to prepare by collectively building up the narrative and armies participating.

In this second part of the surprise attack on Lintear, 7th Moon, some unexpected allies and adversaries appear, master minded by Tim and Migs son, showing that the Thorn Moons apparently are of much more importance to more than the Imperial Forces as initially thought. This was only the beginning of unexpected foes and allies appearing during the Crusade!

All games were fought using the new 8th edition with its mightily improved rules and game flow, which allow for quick and entertaining fights!