Hello Reader.
It might sound strange to you seeing me posting stuff here on the blog after having just complained I had no internet access right? Well, I have had today’s post in the pipes for a while, just hadn’t had the time to sit down and write it before the move. Even the pictures had already been uploaded to Photobucket so it was only a matter of sitting down and writing the article. Yes, the internet is still down here but I’m using a horrible 3G connection to try and keep things running. Let’s see how long that’ll work.
Wee, it’s been a while since I last published a Battle Report here on the blog, and since the one featuring my Eldar against Ton’s Blood Angels seems to be one of the favourite posts here on the blog it’s only fair enough I give you more epic combat in the grim, dark future of Warhammer 40.000.
+++
Planet Nimbus – Tamit IV.
Strata – The Ebony Gardens.
The early morning breeze blew over the leftovers of what was once a thriving imperial city. Constant orbital bombardment on an earlier engagement had reduced the sky high hab-buildings and Administratum palaces into little more than rubble.
The Ebony Gardens which were once, according to the planetary governor Lord Hertz, the three hundredth twenty third marvel of the Imperium were now the stage of a massacre. The Imperial forces led by the Lord Inquisitor Xerxerius had been ambushed and systematically butchered by imperial renegades. A brave few, led by First Sergeant Hermovitus of the first Austral Phalanx, managed to reach the prize they were fighting over, a crio tube marked as “=][= Traitoris Extremis – Malek =][=”, only to be reduced to cinder and ash as the powerful hexagramic protections put in place over the crio tube worked to prevent it from being opened.
Now the prized crio tube lay amidst the corpses and wreckage of those who fought to reclaim it. The huge human form within stood still, biding his time as his nefarious influence compelled others to him. He’d be free again. He was sure of it.
Meanwhile hidden amongst the ruins scavengers moved cautiously picking up anything salvageable from the corpses of those who had died here. There were more deadly predators stalking the battlefield, but these were a lot stealthier than the human dregs and went unnoticed thus far. Dressed in bright red armour and donning the winged blood drop symbol of the Blood Angels chapter these super human soldiers scanned the area using their magnoculars.
+++ We’ve located the package Captain+++ We’re marking its location on the grid with laser designators for the extraction team+++ Awaiting further orders sir+++
+++ Acknowledged+++ Scout team Alfa proceed towards your extraction site+++ We’ll take it from here+++ Good Job+++
+++
The marine pilot of the foremost Rhino let the engine of the vehicle power down to an idle humming as it stopped in front of an old warehouse. A second Rhino stopped advancing behind the same warehouse offering some measure of support to the brother spearheading the extraction mission.
Orders had been issued by the Blood Angels’ Taskforce Commander on Tamitzaa, Captain Manus himself, to verify the distress signal from a crashed transport ship and recover anything of value. Apparently there were other parties interested in recovering what they were after
Close by two units of Black Templars, a mix of Initiates and Neophytes occupied positions on the battlefield intent on securing what they believed was a valuable asset on the fight to save the Tamit system from impending doom. The first of them, led by a Marshal, chose to occupy the rear of a miraculously intact plascrete bunker while the second unit occupied the ruins of what was once a water distribution facility.
Recognizing the threat posed by the Black Templars to the completion of his assigned mission the Blood Angels’ captain committed his forces to a head on assault on the Templar forces.
The safeguard of vital information gathered by the early deployment of scouts was entrusted to a pair of veterans entombed in Dreadnoughts and a small squad of Assault Marines. A squad of Devastators which accompanied the extraction mission deployed quickly into the battlefield occupying a bunker adjacent to the warehouse. At the same time a Baal Predator and a Predator Annihilator advanced towards the Black Templars trying to use the ruins of another bunker to gain cover. A Land Raider, trusting its layers of ceramite armour advanced openly towards the Black Templar squad occupying the ruins of the water distribution facility.
Having received no answers to his attempts to communicate with the Blood Angel force a d realizing the situation was quickly spiralling out of control the Black Templar’s Marshal also committed his accompanying forces to battle deploying a Land Raider of his own, an Assault Squad and a Predator Annihilator to counter the advancing Blood Angels’ Rhinos which threatened his position. On the western flank another Predator Annihilator advanced onto the battlefield taking aim on the Baal Predator, shooting, and finally immobilizing the enemy tank thus nullifying the threat posed by its short ranged weaponry.
The Predator deployed to counter the Blood Angels’ advance opened fire and managed to immobilize one of the Rhinos. The Second Rhino was assaulted and destroyed by the Black Templars’ Assault Squad which employed its melta bombs to deadly effect. The immobilized Rhino was assaulted by a squad of Assault Terminators which disembarked from the Land Raider. Despite their powerfull weaponry the Terminators were unable to dispose of the damaged Rhino.
Seeing their brethren were perilously threatened the Space Marines aboard the remaining Rhino disembarked and prepared a counter charge against the Black Templars. Two squads of Assault Marines and a Captain of the Blood Angels engaged in close quarters against a squad of Terminators led by The Emperor’s Champion and an Assault Squad. In the vicious fight which ensued the tally reaped by the Templars was higher, including the ill-fated Blood Angels’ Captain, and the squad that acted as his retinue fell back leaving the Assault Squad from the destroyed Rhino behind to face their destiny.
The Black Templars still had forces to commit to battle and a Dreadnought dropped from the skies aboard a Drop Pod peppering the retreating Blood Angels with a fusillade of shells. The Terminators finished off the Blood Angel Assault Squad and advanced towards the enemy occupied ruins.
Elsewhere on the battlefield Blood Angels’ reinforcements arrived in the form of the legendary Sanguinary Guard which arrived with firm intend of removing the Black Templars from their cache of retrieved data from the crash site. The Blood Angels’ Land Raider also disgorged its terminator upon the Black Templar Squad occupying the ruins of the water distribution facility.
The Sanguinary Guard started firing upon the Marshal’s squad behind the bunker while the terminators from the Blood Angels fought the Black Templars amidst the ruins.
After losing the remaining Terminators to the Devastators fire the Black Templar Marshal voxed an order to the Land Raider that advanced towards the Blood Angels entrenched on the warehouse ruins.
More Blood Angels reinforcements show up in the form of a Land Speeder which aims to arrive in a position to threaten the Black Templars objective but scatters away.
Despite the immense punishment inflicted upon them by the Black Templars the Blood Angels still kept coming. After being displaced of the objective it had been protecting the Marshal realized the folly of fighting a fellow astartes chapter. There was no glory here, no greater cause being pursued, only the wasting of precious soldiers lives.
+++ To all Black Templar forces+++ This is Marshal Adon+++ Disengage from the Blood Angels’ forces and regroup at our set rally point+++
+++What about our objective sir?+++ We’re close to dislodging the Blood Angels and securing the battlefield+++
+++That was an order pilot+++ Disengage immediately+++ They fought hard to keep their prize, let them have it+++
+++
And I guess that’s it. As you can tell the Blood Angels won this game pulling a victory on the last few turns after being pummelled by the Black Templars during most of the game. Perhaps me assuming captaincy over the Black Templars had something to do with this. The fact remains that due to their special rule which demands they advance towards the enemy after suffering a wound (and after passing a Ld test) Black Templar squads make for very poor objective holders.
Over and out.
+++
The Painting Frog 