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The Stalker, Strike Cruiser of the Marines Mendicant 1st Company, hovered over the world of Regius, in high geosynchronous orbit. The lone ship emitted a single beam of light for a few brief moments before hanging still in the sky.

“The suits still aren’t ready, Captain. The battle damage incurred during the Hrackert Rift crusade-“

Captain Iroh Ardias held up his armored hand, staring into the eyes of the Chapter Serf who bore his helm. The Serf froze, holding the massive helmet, cowed before the presence of the Captain of the 1st Company.

“It will do for now. It is our sacred duty to purge the alien and cleanse heretical filth as we see it. Even if our arms and armor falter, our enemies shall not find our hearts wanting” Ardias replied, accepting the helmet from the Serf. With a hiss, the helm locked into place, sealing Ardias’ suit of Terminator armor. Turning, Ardias allowed his heavy cloak, a gift from the natives of Kanak, to billow behind him as he strode towards the waiting Thunderhawk. He did indeed notice that his armor was acting sluggishly, and the carbon scoring inflicted by Tyranid bio plasma and deathspitters hadn’t been fully buffed from his armor yet. Joined by Interrogator Chaplain Barvio, Ardias’ armored boots thundered through the armored hold of the transport, where a full score of other Terminator armored warriors waited patiently for the presence of their Captain.

The 1st Company had been making strategic strikes all across the Tau battle lines, taking the fight to the Tau. Captain Ardias had begun his largest sortie yet; a joint aerial insertion/teleport attack on the Tau headquarters, in the captured city of Taghaste. The city had fallen to the Tau as the planet’s PDF had withdrawn, beaten back by the invading Tau. Unverified reports of power-armored allies assisting the Tau were unverified, and Ardias was intent on confirming these rumors himself. Bending his armored helm as Chaplain Barvio led the Thunderhawk’s occupants in silent prayers, Ardias mentally prepared himself for battle as the Thunderhawk entered the atmosphere.

The first strafing run decimated several Tau occupied structures, and orbital fire from the Stalker was quick to demolish a large Tau QRF attempting to intercept Ardias’ Thunderhawk. Clearing an area near the Square of Oro, an open area dedicated to an Imperial saint who had hailed from Regius, the Thunderhawk touched down, releasing a pair of Land Raiders and opening its boarding ramp, allowing Ardias and his Command Squad to board their Land Raider.

“Forward, brothers! Let us show these xenos the fury of the Adeptus Astartes!”

---
Hello, everyone! This is game 3 of my Siege of Regius campaign; we played 1850 of Deathwing and Tau. We used two special characters today (using C:SM and C:Tau Empire):





My list was as follows:

Marines Mendicant, 1st Company


HQ:
Captain Ardias (see above)
Chaplain (TDA)

Troops:
Terminator Squad:
Sergeant (x2 LC)
Banner Bearer (x2 LC)
Apothecary (x2 LC)
TH/SS

Terminator Squad:
X5 Hammernators

Terminator Squad:
Cyclone Missile Launcher

Terminator Squad:
Assault Cannon

Terminator Squad:
Assault Cannon

Heavy Support:
Land Raider Crusader (MM)
Land Raider Crusader (MM)

And my opponent had:

FISH PEOPLE, 1850:


HQ:
Command Suit (Melta/Plasma, with other suits outfitted the same, plus drones?)

Elites:
Battlesuit Squad (Melta/Plasma/Shield Drones)

Stealth Suit Team:
Shas’vre Lar’shi (see above)
X2 Stealth Suits

Troops:
X2 Fire Warrior Squads, 12 man

Kroot Squad:
X12 Kroot

Fast Attack:
Pathfinder Squad:
X8 Pathfinders
->Devilfish

Pathfinder Squad:
X8 Pathfinders
->Devilfish

Heavy Support:
X3 Broadsides
X3 Broadsides
Hammerhead (Railgun)

It seems like my opponent list-tailored, and it’s true; he saw my Deathwing cases, recognized them, and tailored a list to beat it. I was undeterred; a true Space Marine would never back down, ESPECIALLY when the deck is stacked against him (that, and I was determined to turn the tables on my opponent). To quote this, “We’re Space Marines! Looking before jumping is not in our MO”

We rolled Spearhead with Kill Points.

The table was setup as follows:

My opponent deployed first:



Overlooking the battlefield:



I did, however, manage to seize the initiative. The Kroot scouted forward.



Marines, Turn 1:
The Land Raiders advanced through the ruins of the city, their mighty treads grinding through the rubble. The Crusader’s door opened, and Ardias himself led the charge, watching as the fragmentation launchers peppered the xenos positions ahead with shrapnel. Extending his Lightning Claws, Ardias barreled forward, his mighty bulk shrugging a wall aside as he swung, shredding a pair of xenos with one fluid stroke. The sound of teleport arrays signaled that the other elements of Ardias’ strike force were on their way; Storm Bolter and Assault Cannon fire confirmed this.

Ardias calmly stood his ground as the aliens charged back, one swinging its bladed staff into his armored helm. Rebounding off the thick adamantium plating, Ardias sneered as he raised his boot and stomped, sending the alien sprawling across the ground. Ardias listened as Chaplain Barvio bellowed litanies of protection and hatred, cutting down the fleeing aliens with his Storm Bolter.

I scooted both Land Raiders as far forward as I could ,disembarking the Command Squad. Two squads teleported in.



Both Tactical Terminator squads opened fire, cutting down some Drones and Fire Warriors; morale checks were passed all around.



Assault saw the Command Squad decimate the Kroot.

KP:
Marines: 1
Tau: 0

Agnius Sept, Turn 1:
Ardias bellowed “Take cover!” as his helmet’s auspex scanners displayed incoming reports of Plasma fire. Squad Roth heeded his warning too late, as most of the squad was cut down as the Tau opened fire. It was as if the Tau were expecting them; plasma and melta weapons were everywhere in this strike force, the only weapons that stood a reasonable chance of breaching their mighty Tactical Dreadnought Armor. Ardias could only watch as the Tau weaponry exploited the damaged nature of their Terminator Armor, crippling vital systems and forcing many warriors out of the fight. Bio readouts showed that these Battle Brothers would survive, but the Tau fire was taxing their suits.

Nothing much moved for the Tau.

Shooting saw them wipe the one Tactical Terminator squad in the open, while the Tactical Terminator Squad closest to the Pathfinders was dropped to one man. The Command Squad lost most of its punch through shooting; both Banner and Apothecary fell.



Nothing assaulted this Turn.

Kill Points:
Marines: 1
Tau: 1

Marines, Turn 2:
The flash of a teleporter array heralded the arrival of another Terminator Squad, Squad Kori’andr, who wasted no time opening fire on the Tau. The Land Raider rumbled to a stop, disgorging Squad Markov, who swung their Thunder Hammers with vengeance on their minds, casting the bodies of dead Tau aside coldly as they soldiered forward, heavy footfalls marking their approach to the Tau positions. Chaplain Barvio, though wounded, kept his litanies of hatred and zeal alive as he bashed in the first heavy Tau suit he reached with his Crozius, pulping the alien inside. Blue blood ran from the cracks of the suit as Barvio watched, letting the remaining suits retreat.

My last Terminator Squad arrived. I moved the Chaplain closer to the Broadsides, while the Crusader barfed up the Hammernator squad.





Both Crusaders fired Multi-Meltas at the Hammerhead, accomplishing nothing. Krak Rockets picked off some Drones, while Storm Bolters didn’t do anything.

Assault witnessed the Hammernators pull off a multicharge, killing off the Fire Warriors, Suits, and Shaking the Devilfish. The Chaplain chased down the Broadsides, sending them running off the board, while Ardias and the last Terminator charged the Hammerhead, accomplishing nothing.





Fleeing Broadsides:


KP:
Marines: 4
Tau: 1

Though we were both eager for the game to continue, unfortunately, our FLGS closed down for the night, and we had to go. *Technically* it’s a win for me, but IMO, the game could have been very different had we actually completed it!

Over the din of Storm Bolter fire, the roar of an Assault Cannon, and the crackling of wrecked vehicles, Captain Ardias could only watch as the maneuverable Hammerhead began to pull back. The Tau themselves began pulling back, and Ardias began to recognize the signs; this was a feint. The xenos were trying to suck them in to another position; having seen tactics like this many times during the Damocles Gulf Crusade, Ardias knew the xenos were cunning, and trying to pull his strike force into a trap. A more hotheaded commander might have pursued, but Ardias knew better.

“Your duty is not done, Brother-Apothecary” Ardias spoke, pulling his Apothecary to his feet. His suit of Terminator Armor had failed him; after taking a hit from Tau weaponry, the suit had shut down, leaving the Apothecary trapped in his massive suit of armor. The Serf had been correct; the suits of Tactical Dreadnought Armor were indeed damaged from the Hrackert Rift Crusade, but there was no time to repair them. Sending a signal to the orbiting Thunderhawk, Ardias surveyed the damaged Land Raider. The beast was wounded, to be sure, but it could be serviced and brought back into the Emperor’s use once more. Turning his sluggish suit to the Land Raider, Ardias stared skyward, wondering how the Tau had anticipated his strike...

Thanks for reading! Sorry that this one was so short!

Ouch, you soaked up a lot of AP2 fire that first turn, but by the end of the turn you cut their crisis and broadside numbers in half. I think you definitely had the upper hand, but it would have been nice to see how things ended.