Leviathan Splinter Fleet: Goliath

The scattered remnants of the great attack by Hive Fleet Leviathan on Gryphonne IV fled towards the galactic core, eventually driving within the Imperial defensive perimeters that had been erected to contain the Leviathan Fleet. These so-called splinter fleets have, if anything, become an even greater threat as they feed upon unsuspecting and ill-defended worlds far from the major war zones. Running battles with the splinter fleets have continued for many years since Hive Fleet Leviathan's passage, draining the galaxy's defenses against later incursions. It is doubtful if the true extent of the devastation caused by the Hive Fleet will ever be known. Splinter fleets can comprise as few as a dozen Hive Ships, but even a dozen bio-ships are more than capable of overrunning a world and harvesting its biomass to become a yet greater threat. Some have become so large as to be classified as a new, distinct Hive Fleet. Indeed, Hive Fleet Magalodon grew from one of Kraken's sundered tendrils, and continues to ravage the Imperium to this day. There is no doubt that by this point the Tyranid Hive Mind has learned a great deal about the galaxy's defenses from the actions of these splinter fleets. Every battle that a group of Tyranids engages in, whether they are victorious or not, only adds to the Hive Mind's growing depth of knowledge about its prey within the Milky Way Galaxy. Some Imperial savants of a particularly melancholic turn of mind believe that gaining this information was the true goal of Hive Fleet Leviathan's invasion. It is perhaps preferable to believe that the Hive Mind has planned this outcome in advance, than to believe that it has the strategic skill to turn even its greatest defeats into longer-term victories.