Taken from the writings of the Sage Alexander Petranus concerning the reversal of the Imperium's fortunes.

Of the three hundred crew members aboard our Thunderhawk, there were but four survivors, including myself. The Grandmaster appeared at the eleventh hour, dispatching the Chaos rabble that were combing through the great ship's wreckage, but he was little too late. Alastor was gone... I could but watch, gripping my wounds, as the Heretical Sorcerer dragged him off. I confessed my sin to Lucas when he appeared before me and asked that he deliver the Emperor's judgement, but he refrained and spoke thus:

"Despair not, my good Sage. Your wounds are proof enough of your innocence. That you did not die in His service today is no shame. It simply means that the Emperor may yet still have a plan for you."

And so the Champion brought me, unworthy though I am, to the medics where I was stitched back together. I am but a coward, unworthy of speaking His divine name, but if this is truly His will, then I shall continue to serve in the small way that I am able.

When we returned to our headquarters , I found a dozen Oathkeepers splayed out near the landing pad, their apothecaries painstakingly removing broken power armour and tending to their wounds or retrieving the holy geneseed where required. Two blocks down, I could see Isaiah, holding his power weapon aloft in front of some two dozen of his brothers, apparently giving some sort of oration. I was not four steps out of the ship when I was shoved down to the ground.

"My brother! Where is my brother?" I gasped as my recently-sealed wounds screamed out within me. The golden Librarian stood above me, a whirl of lightning crackling across his staff. "Alastor! Where is Alastor?"

I was incapable of speech. Octavius stepped forward and I was certain then that I would be struck down, but a hand clasped the Librarian's shoulder. Octavius turned and saw Grandmaster Lucas standing before him. The two locked eyes for a moment and I saw the Grandmaster shake his head ever so slightly. Octavius' head bowed.

"I'm sorry..." I managed as I stumbled to my feet, "We were not prepared for such resistance... Our ship was downed and we were surrounded. He... he isn't dead, Master Librarian."

"To fall into the grip of Chaos is a fate worst than death," another voice said. I turned and saw Claudius in full battle array. There were scorch marks on his power armour. "Tell me, Sage. How was it that your flight path was known? How did the forces of Chaos know to strike at that very instant?"

"I... I do not know."

"But I do," Claudius spat, "We are betrayed again. This foul world bears a strong taint... I can feel it in the very air."

"No one disputes that, Brother Chaplain," said Lucas softly, "Betrayal is a fact we must face when facing the foul Gods. It is a lesson I learned long ago and it is a lesson I still learn today... a group of Officers under Inquisitorial Mandate in this facility were discovered making unauthorized transmissions earlier today. They claimed to possessed no memory of the events in question and I was inclined to believe them. Not every man may keep his own will when faced with the ruinous powers. Needless to say, I have dealt with them."

Claudius' head snapped towards them. "They must have accomplices!"

"And so they did," Lucas acknowledged, "Three sanctioned psykers also lie dead by my blade. Others doubtlessly remain, but the damage to the conspiracy should keep them in check for the time being."

"We cannot abide any traitors! Alastor has suffered a fate worst than death and I will not rest until every last conspirator is..."

"Claudius," said Octavius, his head still downcast, "Brother, please... we do not have time."

Though the Chaplain was wearing his skull helmet, I could tell he was taken aback. "This was your brother, Octavius! Your own flesh and blood! How can you speak of time when he suffers untold torments at the hands of traitors that walk in our own midst!"

"You, too, are my flesh and blood, Claudius," Octavius said sadly, "And so too is every man in the Company. It is to their safety and ultimate victory that we must look towards now. The Inquisitor... my brother... he shall not go unavenged."

"Well spoken," Lucas said with a nod, "Come, let us retire to the governor's citadel. There is much to be done."

Thirty minutes later, the three men were seated around a circular table. The governor's palace still wreaked of the debauchery and blood he had spilled here. They sat in silence then until at last the Brother Captain entered, for whom they each rose respectfully to their. Isaiah gestured for them to be seated as quickly as he entered.

"I just heard of the ambush. My condolences, brother."

Octavius nodded thanks and clasped his hands together. "The Emperor will watch over his soul. Always."

"May it be so with us all," Isaiah answered with a nod, "Report."

"Brother Claudius led a small reconaisance force southward to probe the defences of the agents of Chaos and encountered heavy resistance. A Chaos Lord calling himself Morax led the assault. Though Claudius and I drove him from the field, his forces were too numerous... Sixteen battle brothers were slain before we withdrew."

Isaiah turned towards "Was this the same Chaos Lord that you encountered previously?"

"Yes," Claudius answered, "His is not a face I am soon to forget."

"Morax," Lucas repeated thoughtfully, "The name is known to me... his Alpha Legion detachment has harassed Imperial shipping around the Eye for some time."

"You sound puzzled, Grandmaster," said Isaiah, "Is there something the matter?"

"Morax is a cunning creature," Lucas answered, "Barbaric, of course... I have heard that he drinks the blood of his victims. But he is a dagger, not a sword. He prefers to strike and disappear before reinforcements may arrive. The fact that he is on this world, conducting an extended campaign is unusual. It does not seem to fit his modus operandi."

"Do his motivations matter to us here?" Claudius interjected, "There is no method in Chaos' madness."

"A common misconception," Lucas disagreed, "The forces of Chaos are not simply a pack of raving madmen. There exist malevolent intelligences within their midst, Brother Chaplain, who are not meant to be underestimated. Not everything is as it seems here... the Alpha Legion have still not committed their full forces. Why the delay? And what is the mind that guides them? There are far too many unanswered questions here."

There was a silence in the room for a moment after that as the three Brothers contemplated the Grandmaster's words. It seemed to me, sitting there, that the death of the traitorous Governor truly was but the first step.

"That is a problem," Isaiah said at last, "That may be dealt with afterwards. For now, our Scouts are reporting that a host of traitorous Marines are descending upon this very citadel. If we cannot hold this position, all hopes of taking the fight back down to the south will be dashed."

"Indeed," Claudius nodded, "Our forces are already taking position. Many are exhausted, but their faiths hold them. Most of the city has been levelled, of course, but I do believe we may yet hold against the tide."

"Supplies from the North are already arriving on schedule," Octavius added, "We must hold this area until reinforcement arrives. Only then may we begin to bury our dead."

"Let it be so then," Isaiah replied, "And may the Emperor protect us all."