WAAAGH! Skullnappa

'''WAAAGH! Skullnappa''' was the name of the Imperial defensive campaign conducted by the Storm Sentinels Space Marine Chapter in the defence of several of their vassal worlds located in the Segmentum Tempestus against the encroaching forces of the vile Orks. This is the first recorded record of the Chapter's service to the Imperium of Man.

Background
Their first record of service of the Storm Sentinels Chapter to the Imperium, dates back to 873.M41, in the Chapter-wide expansion effort against Feral Ork Clans, which had gained four planets: Iris Prime, Ignis VIII, Accellis, and Hyrus LX. However it was possible that the Chapter had served in defending the Imperium before this record, as there have been extant reports of blue and grey liveried Astartes defending against feral Ork invasions within the Segmentum Tempestus.

These Ork purge reports reached to the shattered remains of Ork WAAAGH! Skullnappa, causing its Warboss to gain confidence in his forces again and launch a WAAAGH! on the Storm Sentinels’ sub-sector with his remaining 1 million Orks, first invading the Feral World of Ignis VIII due to its open wastelands being advantageous to Orks in a battle. Small patrol fleets of the Imperial Navy reported to the Storm Sentinels of an Ork fleet attempting an invasion on Ignis VIII. Chapter Master Lucius Remus met the WAAAGH! on the ground with his full Chapter. Many Space Marines died in this conflict, and the main bulwark of the Chapter was surrounded by the Orks until the Chapter Master, accompanied by 2 squads of Vanguard Veterans and 3 squads of Assault Marines, baited the WAAAGH! into one of the planet’s mountain ranges. Stationed there were multiple devastator squads, which gunned down the remains of the WAAAGH! while the Chapter Master and his strike force fought Warboss Skullnappa and his accompanying hordes with a new tactic called Lightning Fall; in which Space Marines with jump packs would fire at the target and charge it after firing, then they would retreat, and fire again. The Chapter wiped out the WAAAGH! However at the cost of heavy casualties, including 2 Assault squads that served in the Chapter Master’s strike force.

After this battle, Chapter Master Remus sent the 3rd Company to hunt down and kill the remainders of the Ork WAAAGH! Skullnappa On the Agri-world Covius III before their numbers increase once again. On their way, the company came across a Space Hulk, and investigated it. It was an ancient Battle-Barge dating back to the Horus Heresy, converted into Tyranid Spawning grounds. On the Battle Barge was 2 suits of Cataphractii armor, which were then donned by the Captain and Lieutenant of the Chapter. The Company fought against the hordes aggressively on the battle barge, clearing it until no Xeno was left alive. The Company, suffering 70 casualties, continued with its mission to purge the remains of the WAAAGH! on the Agri-World of Covius III, and the Chapter suffered more losses to WAAAGH! Skullnappa’s remaining forces, however all the Orks were purged. The planet was then re-established as a forward base for the Astra Militarum Regiments from Iris Prime.

The 3rd</sup Company returned to the Fortress-Monastery Battle-barge of the Chapter, Spearhead, with only 13 Space Marines remaining from the brutal battles encountered by the Chapter. With the 3 rd Company in shatters, the members of the Chapter recognised the Captain of the 3rd Company, Noctis Antellis, as unfit to lead. The Captain was found dead soon after in his quarters, with bruises, a punctured torso with 5 stab wounds, and a shattered ribcage. His death caused the seeds of distrust to sew itself within the Chapter, and Lieutenant Lysander Solaris took the Captain’s place. The Chapter Librarian was called to investigate the case, however he found no leads, other than someone on the ship was responsible for killing the Captain, and he traced the killer to a serf, empowered by Khorne.

It is during this time that Ork WAAAGH! Skullboila begins an invasion on Covius III as an act of Vengeance against the Storm Sentinels. It was discovered at this time that the 3rd Company raided the WAAAGH!’s camp while purging the remains of Skullnappa's WAAAGH! on the planet. This infuriated Skullboila, and he gained more members to take back the planet. The Irisian Regiments of the planet fended off against the WAAAGH! alongside the full force of the Storm Sentinels Chapter, and Knight House Chroma. Chapter Master Remus creates a specialised squad of Space Marines armed with Jump Packs, upgraded Storm Bolters that fire more bolts that pierce better, and Chainswords. These squads were named Lightning Squads, specialised in the Lightning Fall tactic, they were assigned to the 6th and 7th Companies as supplements in battles.

Accompanied by these squads, the Chapter Master, The Captains of the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th Companies, and Commissar Atreus Brellis led a spearhead on the weaker flanks of the WAAAGH!’s force to kill the leader, and to exterminate as many Orks as possible. The weakened 3rd Company was supplemented by the 6th Company, which supplied Devastator units. These Devastators were effective in supplementing the Lightning Fall tactic against the attack on these Ork hordes. The Chapter Master, his strike force, and the 2nd and 3rd Company Captains struck at the Ork head, charging Ork Warboss Skullboila. However, Skullboila was prepared for this assault, and used hidden forces to ambush the Chapter Master and his strike force. The force was surrounded, but the 3rd Company, led by its Captain, tore through the hordes with the 6th Company Devastators, forming a path for the rest of the Strike Force to escape while the Captains and Veterans attempted to kill the Warboss. However, the 6th Captain died, a squad of Veterans were killed, and Chapter Master Remus lost his arm, forcing the remainder of the force to retreat from the battle.

The Chapter and Regiments were forced to retreat from the planet. The 207th Irusian Regiment held the position in a Last Stand to allow the rest of the army to escape. The 207 th</sup was destroyed, and the members were labeled as heroes of the Imperium. The WAAAGH! was successful in taking over the planet, and they began their conquest to invade the subsector. The Chapter regrouped on the planet Ignis VIII with the Irisian Regiments to discuss the plans to fend off the Ork invasion. The 3 rd</sup Company Captain proposed his Company board Ork ships to weaken them, but Chapter Master Remus decided to fight the Orks with their mass force of Naval Ships instead, and to lead them to the Forge-World Sicadus, to restrict the Orks’ movements and to gain more reinforcements in the Skitarii of the planet and the Knights of House Chroma. A message was sent out to the Forge-World of an incoming Ork invasion, and they were called to prepare defences, both in space and on the ground.

A large-scale battle was fought above the Forge-World, with countless Ork Warships against the Imperium’s combined force of Naval ships from the Astra Militarum, the Adeptus Mechanicus, and from the Adeptus Astartes. Due to the Orks’ heavy losses, they deployed all their forces on the planet below, where they encountered Skitarii of the Forge-World Sicadus. Soon after, the Storm Sentinels and the Irisian Regiments arrived to deal a finishing blow to the Ork WAAAGH! The 3rd Captain of the Storm Sentinels, Lysander Solaris charged toward the Ork hordes, screaming to challenge Skullboila. Some of the members of the battle have made reports of seeing Captain Solaris die in the Ork hordes, however, after many hours, a loud scream was heard, and the Orks started fleeing, some being gunned down by Imperial forces. After the chaos settled, Captain Solaris was seen on a rock, holding the Warboss Skullboila’s head in victory. After this, the Imperium’s forces advanced, and purged the remaining Orks of Skullboila’s WAAAGH!