Cancridrae Xenocide

"Blessed are those who died in service of the God-Emperor. May their sacrifices never be forgotten. May their names live on forever."

- Inscription of the New Korinthos Memorial

Officially known as the Cancridrae Reclamation Crusade, this great campaign was launched in an effort to stem the advances of the hostile xenos known as the Amphra and reclaim the territories lost to their predations. Over the course of four Terran years only slight advances were made, as extreme casualties on both sides of the conflict resulted in a hard-fought stalemate that lasts to this day.

Korinthos in Flames
In the aftermath of the bloodbath that would later become known as the Siege of Korinthos, local Imperial forces were sent reeling in the face of such catastrophic losses. So great was the Korinthos' plight that word eventually reached the ears of the High Lords of Terra, who, in the interest of securing the safety of the greater Segmentum, authorized the formation of an Imperial Crusade. This Crusade would have one goal: to utterly eradicate the Amphra Matriarchy and every single one of its xenos inhabitants.

To this end, the High Lords anointed the former Astra Militarum General Aloysius van Dragen with the position of Warmaster. A native of the Cancridrae Sub-Sector, Dragen had led a long and glorious career as commander of the venerable Mazul Primus-Guard, but age and near-ceaseless warfare eventually forced him into an early retirement. Though he hadn't seen active combat in almost fifty standard years, he was the only individual with the proper military experience and pedigree necessary for such a lofty position, and there was simply no time for a more proper selection process. Like many throughout the course of the Xenocide, Aloysius van Dragen was conscripted into service, much to the displeasure of several other, younger, active-duty officers who would eventually form his council of Lord Marshals.

But though he may very well have been an armchair general, Warmaster van Dragen was nothing if not decisive in his efforts. He struck out against the Amphra even as he forces still gathered at the borders of the Matriarchy, ordering the proud warships of Battlefleet Medici into the breach to secure access beachheads into which the rest of the Crusades' forces would follow. Led by the now-Lord Admiral Salian Amarante, the Medicians shattered Amphra naval cordons surrounding the broken world of Korinthos in a series of brutal hit-and-run strikes. Outmaneuvered by superior Imperial warships, the Amphra could only watch as the might of the Imperium began to pour into their newly-gained territory.

Tentative Steps
Having secured Korinthos, the Crusade advanced cautiously, probing further ahead into Amphra-controlled territory. Newly-dispatched Inquisitorial liaisons from the Ordo Xenos scoured the nearby star systems a uncovered disturbing intelligence: the forces they faced were not nearly as fractious as they had originally thought. By this time the Clutches' military assets had all been rallied under the banner of one singular commander. Her name was Rkliir of Clutch Bluemaw, and by order of Matriarch Llssaa she had been appointed supreme leader of all Matriarchy Drays, until such a time that the "soft-fleshed invaders" had been successfully repulsed. Now naming herself Ghan'Ghash-Dray (literally "first among firstborn"), Rkliir had ordered a defensive strategy in the face of the Imperial advances, fortifying Amphra-Held worlds and withdrawing fleet elements to serve as protective blockades.

This proved to be a effective strategy, stonewalling the Crusade's forces before they gained further momentum. Several advances were made against these fortified worlds, all of which failed before the Imperial Guard could even make planetfall. The Amphra vessels may have not been able to outmaneuver the Imperials in the open void, but they were quite adept at soaking up firepower and retaliating en masse, much to the dismay of Battlefleet Medici.

Once again, the Ordo Xenos acted, this time by employing the skills of the infamous Deathwatch. Kill-Teams were overtly dispatched to several of these contested world, some of whom enjoyed degrees of success in sabotaging the Matriarchy's defenses. Most notably, Kill-Team Echelon successfully managed infiltrate the Amphra-held Hive World of Tanib Zeta and access it's planetary defensive network, using the Amphra's own surface-to-orbit munitions to cripple the blockade surrounding the planet. In the wake of the fleet's destruction, Imperial Battlegroup Alpha was en route to secure the planet, attacking in full force. The brave Guardsmen of the 1st Adrine Regiment particularly distinguished themselves during what would later become known as the Tanib Zeta Persecution, as they were the first into the fray.

The Persecution would also bring to light many of the Matriarchy's more horrifying aspects, such as their "unique' means of foodstuff production. Guardsmen regiments, have penetrated the Amphra's outer ring of defenses, quickly uncovered grotesque facilities in which entire generations of Tanibites were kept in rows upon rows of sealed pens, restrained and intravenously fed nutrients until their pale, bloated forms barely resembled anything human. They were livestock, pure and simple, bred solely for the purpose of the sustaining the Amphra's ravenous hunger for human flesh. When word of this reached Warmaster van Dragen's ears, he personally ordered the destruction of any and all of these disgusting structures on sight, and that all their semi-human inhabitants be granted the Emperor's Mercy. These orders were acted upon with fervor, and fires raged throughout the Tanibite mega-districts for many months after the planet's re-capture.

During this event, the Inquisition was quick to declare the Amphra species Xenos Horrificus, an action that would only garner further support for the Xenocide.

Order of Battle
In comparison to similar military endeavors, the Cancridrae Xenocide was a relatively small operation, and thus its overall command hierarchy and structure were both basic and somewhat improvised in many regards. Overall command still laid in the hands of Warmaster, but his council of Lord Marshals each oversaw individual Battlegroups, each one consisting of various mixed Imperial Guard/Imperial Navy forces, as well as attached Adeptus Mechanicus support staff, Logistics staff, etc.

Astra Millitarum
Regimental command still laid in the hands of said Regiment's commanding Colonel (and/or similar corresponding rank), though all were obligated to report to their Battlegroup's commanding Lord Marshal, as was protocol. The individual Battlegroups consisted of the following:

Adeptus Astartes
Notoriously independent, those Space Marine Chapter's who did answer Warmaster van Dragen's call to arms respected his rank if nothing else, but kept their own council. Having come equipped with their own designated fleet and support elements, they were later organized into the Imperial battle plan as "Strike Forces", one per each individual Chapter. Throughout the course of the Xenocide they mostly participated in surgical strike operations or provided support to the Imperial Guard Battlegroups as the situation demanded. The individual Strike Forces consisted of:

Other Forces

 * Imperial Navy - Battlefleet Medici was deployed in full force during the entire span of the Xenocide, the Medicians eager to avenge the losses the Amphra inflicted upon them in years long past. Their warships proved instrumental in both countering the Amphra's own fleet elements and in transporting Imperial Guardsmen from battle to battle.
 * Adeptus Mechanicus - The followers of the Machine God mainly played a largely supportive role during the Xenocide. Their priesthood was tasked with the rebuilding and redevelopment of Imperial worlds liberated from the Amphra or conquered by the Imperium. As such, entire armies worth of Mechanicus Artisans, Engiseers, and servitor labor-forces trailed in the wake of the main Battlegroups.
 * Adeptus Ministorum - Many members of the Missionarus Galaxia also trailed in the wake of the Xenocide's military forces, to ensure the proper veneration and proliferation of the Imperial Creed within re-conquered worlds. Other than that however, the Ecclesiarchy had a fairly limited influence on the affairs of the campaign.
 * Inquisition - In light of the discovery of the Amphra Matriarchy, a conclave of Inquisitors was brought together under the aegis of one Marik Apollyon, Lord Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos. Known as the Cancridrean High Conclave, the main objective of this "intelligence force" was the analysis of the Amphra as a species. Through many undisclosed means the Inquisitors gained precious insight into the physiology, behaviors, and culture of the Amphra, information that would prove invaluable to the campaign's high command.