Description[]
In early 355.M41 a small, fast chaos fleet consisting of a Heretic-class light cruiser and six Iconoclast-class raiders escaped The Grave through a small, temporary opening in the warpstorm's edge. The Imperial Navy was unable to intercept the chaos fleet before it reached safe warp travel distance from the storm and headed towards Sictix through the empyrean.
The Ghosts of Retribution sent Hunter Squadron Alpha to scout the chaos fleet and watch it from afar, as the Chapter was unable to spare more powerful ships at the time. As the astartes destroyers observed, the chaos fleet settled over Sictix' foreboding skull-moon for unknown reasons - but they were assumed to be conducting some foul ritual.
Such a ritual could not be allowed to be completed, so the Aspera Dominus set course for Sictix and Hunter Squadron Alpha attacked on their own in order to stall the enemy. An opening salvo of torpedoes from the destroyers forced the enemy fleet away from the moon, and the dangerously fast chaos ships moved to attack the astartes vessels. Fortunately the Hunter destroyers were even faster, and successfully evaded the chaos ships until Aspera Dominus and her escorts arrived on the other side of the system.
Once Aspera Dominus arrived the chaos ships fled for the system edge so they could warp away. Unfortunately for them Hunter Squadron Alpha was already nearby and a salvo of torpedoes from the destroyers damaged the chaos light cruiser, while it was concurrently struck by an incredibly long range, perfectly targeted torpedo salvo from the Aspera Dominus that crippled the light cruiser. The Iconoclasts fled the system back into The Grave while the chaos light cruiser limped onward but ultimately it was caught up with by the Gladius Squadrons accompanying the Aspera Dominus, and together with Hunter Squadron Alpha they hulked the light cruiser with their weapons batteries.
Following the battle in the void, the Ghosts of Retribution dispatched scouts to the surface of Sictix's moon to investigate what the chaos forces were doing. Unfortunately they were ambushed by a small pack of bloodletters that had be summoned into realspace by a small warp portal that had been opened up by the chaos marines (that had since departed). Gavin the Untaken and other space Marine reinforcements then destroyed the bloodletters and the warp portal.
Inquisitor Lord Tomas Garant then arrived to assist and asked the Ghosts of Retribution to atomise the chaos light cruiser hulk, before briefly investigating the destroyed portal. Soon afterwards Chapter Master arrived aboard the Pax Sepulchrum and he and Garant had an important discussion.