++Date:5 185998/M41
+Astropathic Duct: Amoth Gravus
++From: Acolyte Inquisitor Sterns
+++To: Lord Inquisitor Swales

My lord, the most extraordinary thing has happened.

My group of troopers and I had decided to make for St. Phineas after we recieved word that Hive Primus had fallen. We had been following the communication conduit so I have been able to gain some information as to the planet-wide situation. I just received news that one chapter of Astartes has left the planet. Orks have quickly taken the Staal valley.

Shortly thereafter, dust storms began to form in the wastes. The PDF troopers informed me these are very common in the wastes between Hive Primus and St. Phineas. They are also very dangerous to travel in. Unfortunately, we were in the middle of the wastes when they hit. We made slow progress until we found some ancient ruins from when these parts were still habitable. We have held up in the ruins waiting for the storms to abate.

Apparently, we we not the only one who had the idea to make to St. Phineas by following this conduit. More refugees from Hive Primus come everyday. We've been here for two weeks now.

Today while monitoring the limited communication traffic flowing though the conduit, an Inquisitor contacted me. He must have reverse-traced my signal back from the governor's archive. His name is Lord Inquisitor Hrachov. He is here in pursuit of a renegade Astartes name Janosik.

He said he's waiting out the storms in the mountains south of Hive Secoundus. He said as soon as the storms abate, he will come to my position to evacuate me. He wishes me to join him in his search for this heretic. He also said he will fill in the gaps I have regarding the situation.

My Lord, are you familiar with this Inquisitor? Or, for that matter, his quarry, this Janosik? Unfortunately, I have been told these dust storms will get worse before they get better. I will update you as soon as I rendezvous with Lord Hrachov.

+++Incoming Transmission+++

++Date:5 161071/M41
+Astropathic Duct: Amoth Gravus
++From: Acolyte Inquisitor Sterns
+++To: Lord Inquisitor Swales

I know it has been several weeks since I last contacted you. More and more of the communication conduits on this planet are failing. I just now have been able to locate one running into St. Phineas, the only hive still under Imperial control.

I have been traveling with the PDF troopers that survived the crash. We have been following the Staal river north. Our original plan was to cross west at some point and attempt to make it to the outskirts of Hive primus.

My Lord, the situation on Alpheca III is getting increasingly dire. The PDF force I have been traveling with has been receiving scattered vox traffic. I have also been able to pull some information off of this communication conduit.

Hives Primus and secondus have fallen to Orks. There are reports of forces of the great enemy to the south of hive primus, but apparently they have failed to make much headway against the green skins. Astartes of at least two chapters have made planetfall. One has secured most of the Staal river valley, including the delta region. We have seen their thunderhawks patrolling overhead. However, I have made no attempt to contact them until I can ascertain their allegiance.

Judging by the description I have heard, the other chapter here is the Space Wolves. This is most interesting considering their history with the planet.

My Lord, there is much more to report, but I don't know how long this link will last. There is one more important piece of information that I need to tell you, but I am afraid that it may cause you grief.

I knew you had received my last message when I heard that the Varrain 10th had made planetfall. I know you have conscripted them before and had assumed you had done it again.

Unfortunately, over the last week, we have been receiving vox transmissions saying that the ranks of the Varrian have been decimated by some kind of virus outbreak. Their fleet has stopped sending supplies and reinforcements while the outbreak is contained. The surviving members have taken up defencive positions.

However, without support, I do not think they will last very long.

We will be remaining at this position and monitor

++++Transmission Broken+++

+++Message End++++

Declaration of Archbishop Sebastion Izzard

++From: Archbishop Sebastion Izzard


++All Channels++
++(Channel Gama not responding)+++

++(Channel Zeta not responding)+++

Citizens of Alpheca, it has become clear to me the the governor of our planet has demonstrated complete incompetence. Our world is besieged on all sides by mankind's enemies, but where is he? His mighty defence force that the openly boasted about for so long is scattered in the wastes, completely ineffectual.

I have just received word that he has quit the capital while it is besieged both the forces of the archenemy and xenos filth. Where he has gone to hide, we do not know.

Heed not the lies the lord governor has told: we are not forsaken.

Our gracious Emperor has sent us relief, yet he is to blinded by his pride and cowardice to see our delivers for what they are. The Sisters of the Order of the Amethyst Shroud have secured St. Phineas. Also, under the orders of the Sacred Inquisition, the Imperial Guard of the Varrian 10th have made planet fall near Hive Secondus.

In light of all these facts, I declare Alpheca III now under control of the Ecclesiarchy. All Planetary defence forces report to me. In addition, all astartes and imperial guard forces send delegations to St. Phineas immediately. I am now in control of the defence and liberation of Alpheca.

When we have delivered Alpheca from our enemies, Lord Governor Bellavos will be punished for his crimes.

+++End++++

Loyal Citizens of Alpheca

++From: Lord Governer Bellavos
++All Channels++

Loyal Citizens of Alpheca! We have been beset by a great plague. Barbarian green skins have descended on our glorious planet and have begun a conflict the likes of which we have never seen.

Along with this Xenos plague has come other assorted rabble that intend to use our planet as nothing but a playground onto which they will release unlimited destruction. These supposed Knights of the Emperor may say they are here to liberate us, but do not trust them. Your homes will be ground to the earth as they practice their war-mongering. They lust for battle and destruction only.

I command you, as your Lord Governor, to resist these intruders! Green skinned and Iron skinned alike! Take up what weapons you have and resist!

Fight for Alpheca!

Fight all intruders!

We will cleanse our planet of all this filth!

++Distress Transmission++

++Date:5 161038/M41
+Astropathic Duct: Risvic Holud
++From: Acolyte Inquisitor Sterns
+++To: Lord Inquisitor Swales

My lord, I have been out of communication for the last few weeks, because the situation on Alpheca III has become quite dire. I have very limited information on what has happened. Alpheca II is a war zone and I have been stranded in the wastes between St. Phineas and Hive Primus just east of the Staal river. I can see Hive Primus many Kilometers in the distance. I can see columns of smoke

++Message Broken++

returning from my trip to St. Phineas. The PDF was escorting me back when our Arvus was hit by something. We had to make an emergency landing in the wastes. It quickly became obvious what we had been hit by. We could see the burning trails of hundreds objects entering the atmosphere. Some appeared to be ships, but many seemed to be debris like what had hit our ship. I recognized it as what typically results from a naval conflict. A ship must

++Message Broken++

guardsmen died of their wounds, but by all appearances, Melathor died of psychic shock. Obviously there has been some enormous psychic disturbance in order to kill an astropath outright.

++Message Broken++

we happened upon a communications conduit and I was able to splice a servo-skull into the communication feed. Amazingly, I have been able to make contact with the servo skull I spliced into the imperial palace’s communication array. In this way, I have been able to monitor much of the communication being transmitted across the continent.

This is also how I am send this to you. I have to route the message through almost a dozen interchanges, so I pray to the Emperor that it reaches you in time for you to effectively do something.

As far as the communications I have been able to receive, I have been able to ascertain very little. The planet is in mass confusion. The remaining PDF guardsmen and I have been living off rations for a little over a week. In that time, we seen many more trails in the sky. Whatever happened here, it is drawing more and more attention as time passes.


Please try to send a message to

++Message Broken++




+++Message End+++

Governor Bellavos

++Date: 2 160998/M41
+Astropathic Duct: Melathor Locus
++From: Acolyte Inquisitor Sterns
+++To: Lord Inquisitor Swales
+++RE:Meeting with Governor

+++Thought for the day: For every enemy without there are a hundred within+++


Before I tell you about my meeting the Governor Bellavos, I want to tell you a little more about the man and the recent history of Alpeca III.

Governor August Bellavos came to power twenty five years ago. He was proceeded by his uncle, Fadrron Bellavos, who left no heirs.

It appears that from the onset, he intended to run the government of Alpheca like a military operation. He began referring to St. Hedrich as "Supreme Headquarters of Alpheca III."


He kept that title until 980/M41 when he declared that the two main hives would return to their original names of Hive Primus and Hive Secondus. this was part of his ambitious plan that he dubbed the "Third Golden Age of Alpheca III."

This put him instantly at odds with the Bishop of Alpheca III, Sebation Izzard. It seems that they're relations are cold at best. At worst, they are outright rivals.

I have attached his official state-approved portrait for your reference.

As I mentioned before, Alpheca III has never raised a guard regiment. The Lord Governor, despite his airs, has never served in any military function, not even the PDF.

I had to stifle my laughter when I arrived for our meeting and he stood and saluted me. I did not return the salute but instead warned him that it is not wise to keep and Inquisitor waiting as long as he did.

He quickly rattled off how he has been more than accommodating to both me and Lord Inquisitor Aleatus. He then when on that he has very pressing matters of state.

I noticed before he sat down that he was wearing a side arm and a sword in a scabbard. Again, more illusions of militarism.

I told him that I was interest in what these matters of state were. He began to describe the state of the planet. He went on about productions quotas, worker issues, export and import issues, food shortages.

While I was initially put off by his pretensions, I found myself warming up to him as I listed to him talk in great detail about his planet. I do not know that I would call it compassion for his planet as much a the inner workings of a meticulous mind.

There was an impressive map of Alpheca III mounted on the wall behind him. There were numerous notations on the map. While he was talking I noticed that the notations changed. I quickly realized that the map was in fact a holographic projection tied to a live feed of some sort.

When I asked him about it, he explained that he has his PDF constantly running training exercises in the wastes between Hive Primus and St. Phineas. From his chambers, he can monitor their positions at all time. I thought that was excessive for training a PDF, but I believe this is just evidence of his attention to detail.

After about two hours of discussion, I excused myself to continue my research. Before I left, i thanked him for the escort to St. Phineas that Commander Vaitor had promised. He replied, "I did not authorize Vaitor to offer you escort, but I will allow it."

I left the meeting with the impression that Bellavos is an incredibly vain man, but still a committed servant of the Imperium.


Shortly after returning to my research, a member of Lord Aleatus's staff arrived to told me that the Black Ship had just translated and was inbound to Alpheca III. It would arrive in about one week's time. This would give me enough time to make my trip to St. Phineas and return Hive Primus in time for the ship's Departure to Terra.

+++Continued History of Alpheca III+++

++Date: 2 159998/M41
+Astropathic Duct: Melathor Locus
++From: Acolyte Inquisitor Sterns
+++To: Lord Inquisitor Swales
+++RE: Continued History of Alpheca III

I have nearly completed my time line of Alpheca's history. However, a guard has just come into the archive to tell me that Lord Governor Bellavos will now see me. I want to transmit this last segment before my meeting. I report back as soon as the meeting is complete.

++++Begin Attachment: File 2516958.L En:G+++++

M37 (Late) _ Lord Inquisitor Balum Phineas is granted sainthood by Terra. To honor this occasion, the Bishop of Alpheca orders the building of a Basilica on the sight of St. Phineas’s battles with the wolf cult. The basilica is a massive structure that takes over three hundred years to build.

M38 (Early) _ In the opening days of the 38th millennium, the Basilica is completed. To Honor this, the Ecclesiarchy, who at this point still controls Alpheca, orders the seat of the government to be moved from Hive Primus to the Basilica of St. Phineas. The ruling families of Alpheca protest.

The discussion between the noble families and the Ecclesiarchy becomes more and more heated. The population becomes involved and take to the streets in protest: some in support of the Ecclesiarchy and some in support of the nobles. Riots break out as the situation becomes more tense.

Just when the planet is on the brink of a full-scale civil war, a delegation from the Administratum arrives on the planet and names the noble family of Gaiver the ruling family of the planet. They appoint their patriarch, Xavos Aleir Gaiver, Lord Governor of Alpheca III.
[It is important to note that if it were not for the conflict with the Ecclesiarchy, the noble families probably would have been at arms with each other over who the rightful ruling family was. They conceded to the Administratum because at least it put control of the planet back in the hands of the nobles. --- Sterns]

Lord Gaiver’s first order allows the Ecclesiarchy to relocate to the Basilica of St. Phineas. He also declares that any citizens of Hive Primus or Secondus may re-locate to the Basilica. Plans are drawn for a new hive settlement which will stand adjacent to the Basilica.

To appease the citizens who remain in the original hive cities but are loyal to the Ecclesiarchy, he renames both hive in honor of saints. Hive Primus becomes St. Hedrich and Secundus becomes St. Capilene.

M38 (Late) _ The rule of the Gaiver family lasts around 800 years. In 895M38, the family is accused of genetic heresy and purged. The Ecclesiarchy again assumes control of the Government of Alpheca.

Their rule would be short lived this time as hostilities among the population erupt almost immediately. The combined private armies of the noble families Bellavos and Fugard seize control.

Through a complicated arrangement between the two families, it is declared that the planet will be ruled jointly between them.

However, by the beginning of the 39th Millennium, the Fugard line would fail, leaving the Bellavos family the rulers of Alpheca III to this day.