Although the Wolf King had successfully banished Angron, he had not stopped the Black Legion.
After deploying Angron, Abaddon had led his forces straight into the star systems farther behind the lines. In his view, that planet was certain to shatter. Even if the Space Wolves Expeditionary Force's fleet survived, all it could do was rescue as many warriors as possible from the surface.
That fortress world would inevitably be ruined, leaving a vast fleet sailing without supplies. Abaddon only needed his capital ships to get ahead of them, conquer or surround the next world, then dispatch small detachments to drain the Expeditionary Force's ammunition.
Eventually, short of food and ammunition, the enemy would be forced into a decisive engagement against the Black Legion's main force. It would be a glorious victory.
He pressed onward, launching a straightforward raid on the next world. It was a supply transit hub, a place the enormous Black Legion fleet should have been able to flatten with a breath.
Yet the Imperial defenders held out for a long time. A Valhallan Astra Militarum regiment was stationed there, and its tenacity made the Chaos forces above wonder whether Genestealers had taken over the place.
The warriors from Valhalla's frozen wastes were accustomed to fighting amid ice and snow without enough clothing or food. This time, however, a supply transit station stood behind them.
They had fortifications they had spent a long time building, along with ample ammunition and provisions. That made their initial resistance exceptionally stubborn.
Their accurate fire stopped the combined assaults of Chaos Space Marines and warbands. Ammunition shortages had taught every Valhallan soldier to shoot with precision.
The defenders sacrificed their lives to hold up enemies attempting a surprise attack on the void shields. They held until the Commissar personally arrived with