Commanded by Admiral Horn aboard The Griffin the battlefleet continues to perform its duty to the Imperium of Man.

Battlefleet Calixis is a colossal fleet of Imperial Navy vessels charged with the the protection of the Calixis Sector, an Imperial sector located in the Segmentum Obscurus on the northern edge of the known galaxy, near the Halo Stars and the Eye of Terror. To the trailing edge of the galaxy, the Calixis Sector is bordered by the hazardous territories of the Fydae Great Cloud and to spinward by the Scarus Sector. Battlefleet Calixis origins can be traced back to 384.M39, when the Calyx Expanse was officially declared conquered and the Angevin Crusade at an end by General Drusus. The sector’s Imperial Navy headquarters is located at the orbital void-station known as Port Wrath within the Golgenna Reach Sub-sector. The ships of Battlefleet Calixis are widely dispersed across the sector; some maintain the trade routes and well-travelled courses of the great chartist vessels, while others patrol the danger zones of the Adrantis Nebula and the Hazeroth Abyss where dark forces lurk still. But their most unpredictable and dangerous task is to guard the border of the Halo Stars, beyond which horrors uncounted and unknown lurk beyond the reach of Imperial space.

Port Wrath

As benefits any major sector of the Imperium, the Calixis Sector boasts a wide range of naval and commercial facilities to support travel amongst its star systems. The Calixis Sector’s Imperial Navy headquarters is located at the orbital void-station known as Port Wrath within the Golgenna Reach Sub-sector. This Imperial Navy installation is a huge combination dockyard and naval base serving as headquarters for Battlefleet Calixis. It half protrudes from a metallic planetoid orbiting Mundus, a white dwarf star in the Golgenna Reach, and bristles with Lance batteries matching the firepower of most fleets. Commanded for over fifty standard years by Rear-Admiral Zoila Kusch, this is the mainstay Imperial Navy installation in the sector.

Notable Vessels of Battlefleet Calixis

The following are some of the famed vessels in Battlefleet Calixis. Some have served in the Battlefleet since the founding of the sector, while others are more recent additions:

• Fist of Adamant (Retribution-class Battleship) – Flagship of the current Lord-Admiral of the Calixis Sector. The Fist of Adamant is an ancient and potent Retribution-class Battleship with systems dating back as far as the 32nd Millennium. The Fist is believed to have been salvaged from a Space Hulk and rebuilt somewhere in the Scarus Sector in the 37th Millennium. In the midst of a long and illustrious career, the Fist of Adamant won great renown with Battlefleet Calixis as the saviour of Port Wander. Under the command of the then Lord-Admiral Androvast Strophes, the Fist led the charge that finally broke the Ork blockade around the station. She was heavily damaged in an epic duel with the Ork flagship Da Wurldbreaka during the encounter and afterwards had to limp back to Port Wrath for extensive repairs. It was over a century and a half before the Fist of Adamant was again able to return to full active service.

• Angevin’s Destiny (Unknown Class) – This ancient Imperial Battleship is the flagship of Battlefleet Calixis and regarded as the saviour at the Battle of Markayn.

• Loci Veritas Lux (Exorcist-class Grand Cruiser) – One of two Exorcist-class Grand Cruisers in the Battlefleet Calixis, the Loci Veritas Lux is a variant of the old Vengeance-class, a handsome keel-built ship designed at a time when broadside firepower dominated naval tacticians’ thinking above all else. While the Vengenace sacrificed prow armour and weaponry for improved broadsides and turrets, the Exorcist-class fitted launch bays in place of the broadside Lances and increased stores so the ships could operate self-sufficiently for long periods. This created a more versatile vessel, but Exorcists remain a rare sight except along the Rim, although that versatility makes them popular with Rogue Traders. Loci Veritas Lux and its sister-ship Loci Veritas Lumen have been successfully employed for several centuries in the Calixis Sector leading patrols and supporting convoys. The Attack Craft squadrons make the Exorcists a terror to pirates and raiders, while their increased endurance allows them to stay on patrol long after smaller craft have to turn for home. It is rumoured that both Exorcists have been ordered to join Navy forces in the Koronus Expanse where their great endurance can be put to good use. How well these old warhorses will stand up to the trip through the Maw is a matter of sharp concern for Rear-Admiral Skalingden.

• Loci Veritas Lumen (Exorcist-class Grand Cruiser) – One of two Exorcist-class Grand Cruisers in the Battlefleet Calixis, the Loci Veritas Lumen is a variant of the old Vengeance-class Grand Cruiser. Loci Veritas Lumen and its sister-ship Loci Veritas Lux have been successfully employed for several centuries in the Calixis Sector leading patrols and supporting convoys. The Attack Craft squadrons make the Exorcists a terror to pirates and raiders, while their increased endurance allows them to stay on patrol long after smaller craft have to turn for home. Commodore Wake used the Loci Veritas Lux as his flagship in the Golgenna Reaches for three decades, transferring his flag to the newly arrived Mars-class Battlecruiser Promethean Thunder only recently. It is rumoured that both Exorcists have been ordered join Navy forces in the Koronus Expanse where their great endurance can be put to good use.

• Triumph of Saint Drusus (Chalice-class Battlecruiser) – The Chalice-class Battlecruiser is a design thought unique to the Calixis Sector, along with all other vessels produced by the Lathe Forge Worlds. Famed ship-wright Hosiana Joz is said to have been gifted a vision of the Chalice-class sent by the Omnissiah. He was inspired to set about crafting a warship that could survive the turbulent tides in the Immaterium so often found close to the rim. Some whisper that the resultant ships possess some of the interior structures and conduit relays of an old Hades-class Heavy Cruiser. Despite such mutterings the handful of Chalice-class warships built are acknowledged as fine vessels, even if it is said they possess a bit of a glass jaw. The Triumph of Saint Drusus won fame routing the Emperor’s foes in many engagements, often operating independently to take full advantage of its superior grace and speed. However, an ill star does seem to hang over the history of the class. A disproportionate number have been lost over the centuries in enemy action (or unknown circumstances), while others have fallen and gone over to the Ruinous Powers. Currently, Lord-Captain Laomyr and the Triumph are on detached duty, investigating “disturbances at Sheol VII.”

• Vengeful Martyr (Dauntless-class Light Cruiser) – The lead vessel of Patrol Group 686 (“Retaliator” Group), the Vengeful Martyr is an ancient and revered vessel, one of the warships that served in the Angevin Crusade and survived to form the core of Battlefleet Calixis. Broadly speaking, the Vengeful Martyr is somewhat more capable than the average Dauntless-class Cruiser, being slightly more resilient and significantly more manoeuvrable than most, and fitted with a rare but potent plasma drive to power its forward Lance battery. The Vengeful Martyr has gained something of a reputation in its long history for being an eager warship, unwilling to hide or retreat but always reliable and potent on the attack. A long line of commanding officers have found it challenging to rein in the animal ferocity of the ship, but those who have succeeded have done great things with it.

• Nameless Saint (Firestorm-class Frigate) – Fairly new additions to Retaliator Group, the Nameless Saint, Just Persecution and Reaver’s Dismay were constructed and commissioned to replenish Vanguard Squadron, a trio of Sword-class Frigates that had formed part of the patrol group since its creation. Having served in the Angevin Crusade, the original Vanguard Squadron was destroyed by Ork ram ships during the Battle for Port Wander. Its replacements consisted of Firestorm-class Frigates, a comparatively recent development, made in the centuries before the Gothic War, and which did not exist during the founding of the Calixis Sector. The Firestorms of the replenished Vanguard Squadron were the first warships of their kind to be introduced to Battlefleet Calixis, and their successful use heralded the widespread introduction of this class to the sector fleet. Their effectiveness against raiders and Frigates makes them ideal for patrols and raids.