The prosperous Imperial system of Titan lies along the fringes of the Gulf of Damocles, at the eastern edge of the Imperial Ultima Segmentum. like most Imperial worlds, It is a world of towering spires, arcane technology and overcrowded hives. Unlike most however, it is a world that has become rich through the abundant iridium deposits found on the second moon of Atlas. Through these riches, life on Titan has become more bearable than most hive worlds, with its citizens enjoying a better quality of life than any Imperial citizen should expect. As a result, they have not only become comfortable in their way of life – they have also become afraid of losing it.
Titan has witnessed first hand the bloody ravages that war with the Tau has reaped on its neighbors, most notably the crushing Imperial defeat on nearby Agrellan (now named Mu’gulath Bay by its Tau Conquerors). Subsequently, when the first Tau probes reached Titan Prime, the Imperial Governor, Hanz Malorak VI, listened with interest and decided on a route of appeasement with the Tau. A secrt deal was struck to enable limited trade with the Tau that would make him and his cabal even richer than they already was, and help secure his power as Governer of Titan. Of course the deal was kept secret from Imperial officials in an effort to avoid rousing Inquisitional Interest, but Titan being a relative backwater rarely aroused such attention. Soon afterwards, Tau Water Caste diplomats began arriving on Titan Prime and began covertly, influencing Malorak’s policy decisions, opening up further trade, including that of the key Tau objective iridium, in exchange for technology and goods from the Empire.
Following years of further prosperity, and under increasing influence from the Tau diplomats, Hanz Malorak VI declared Titan’s free form the shackles of Imperial Tyranny, switching allegiances to his new Tau ‘Allies’. The people of Titan followed him in his pursuit of the greater good, rounding up and executing those officials still deemed to be loyal to the Emperor and establishing an Independent Defence Force from the remnants of the planets standing Imperial Guard units.
An invitation was extended to the Tau Military to establish a base in the system to provide ‘military support’ for the planets Defence Forces against any Imperial recriminations. It was duly accepted, and Tau Forces from the nearby Setpworld of Fi’Rios have been deployed in the form of a Contingent of various Early Insertion, Firebase Support, Crisis Drop Strike and Hunter/Mobilised Hunter Cadres.
However, the Imperium has not sat idly by. News of Titan’s treachery has reached the regional hierarchy, and the decision to retake the system and its valuable resources has been made. No less than thirty Imperial Guard Regiments have been mobilized in the nearby system of Lvoz to deal with Malorak and his Xeno associates.
These forces will take time to assemble and disembark, by which time the Tau will be deeply entrenched in the Titan system and far more difficult to remove. As a result, a Force of the Ultramarines Chapter – namely the 1st,2nd, 3rd and 10th Companies – has been dispatched from Ultramar with instructions to contain the Tau threat and interdict further expansion of their presence until the vast bulk of the Imperial Guard forces can arrive.
Titan’s Fall is a five part campaign (with 15 total missions) that pits the Tau against the Space Marines in an escalating conflict that starts at 850 points and grows to 2000.
You can read more about Titan’s Fall (including a complete battle report of the author’s play through) here.
by Iapedus