The humans were unprepared for the eldar’s first volleys. Fire prisms blasted through the right side felling dozens of hapless humans, while the transports silently moved forward. Niena saw several heavy weapons wheeling around to bear on the wave serpents . Silently she sent a signal to the tanks, those guns could not be allowed to open fire. Immediately she was rewarded with their utter destruction under a hail of the vehicle’s fire.
The damned xenos had been laying in wait the whole time, they had taken out the heavy guns before anyone could have even reacted, and the left flank was under heavy fire. Curiously even with the element of surprise the eldar had not touched the right flank leaving both the leman russes operational.
“Look alive men!” Commander Renolds shouted into the vox. “Seems the xenos have come to die under our guns today, let’s not disappoint. Tank crews focus your fire on those transports I want them scrapped.” The two tanks rumbled to life, wheeling their large barrels around to draw a bead on the closest xenos tank. The first shot went wide scouring the ground with a fresh crater, but the second shot was true and penetrated the sleek hull causing a glorious explosion. From the wreckage several tall figures emerged immediately scurrying for cover.
“Third platoon advance!.” Renolds continue to bellow orders as las guns cracked around him. “Target those heavy infantry i want them dead.” Across the field a small group of dark clad xenos were momentarily lit up by hundreds of las bolts. Commander Renolds scowled as a single warrior made it through the barrage definitely returning fire.
Niena smiled as the humans blindly continued to advance along the right flank, while those behind their defenses held position. The loss of exarch Jorhan’s transport would be difficult, but in battle one must adapt.
“Target the right my warriors, leave none alive.” On que Akamon arrived his brood emerging from the warp within perfect striking distance of the unfortunate guardsmen along the right flank. Again the fire prisms unleashed their full power onto the tightly packed men reaping heavy tolls while the spiders finished off any stunned survivors.
“Farseer we have found the remains of exarch Eyena and her sisters.” Exarch Meeran’s voice rang over the low hiss of shuriken fire. “We will retrieve as many as we can.” Niena whispered a small prayer to Ynnead for the small victory.
“Need backup... enemy ambushed.. can’t hold.” Third platoon commander Gregory’s voice was cut off mid sentence through the vox feed. Gazing through the chimera’s command port Renolds soon saw why. The entire third platoon was decimated only a small handful of men left huddled in craters surrounded by filthy xenos. Still the eldar had directed no fire towards the entrenched position, something Renolds planned on making them regret.
“Exicutioners, I want those damned tanks dead!” He screamed through the vox, “Target their remaining transport before it gets off another volley. Responding the two tanks lined up shots on the remaining transport. Both heavy shells went wide however, failing utterly to connect, and the laz cannons did nothing as well. The damned tank simply jinked to the side of both blasts. “Can anyone take that thing out?” Renolds scowled angrily. Before he could make a note to better discipline his tank crews the trench lines heavy gun rang out, the autocannons succeeded where the vanquishers had failed penetrating the transports hull and bringing it to a painful stop on the ground below.
“They are still holled up behind their defenses,” Niena announced, “let us make sure it stays that way.” With the right flank eliminated the host directed its fire towards the guardsmen huddled behind their lines. While overall ineffective it did cause the line of guardsmen to duck and cover behind their entrenchments. “That should keep their heads down at least. Have we recovered any more stones exarch?”
“We were able to recover the entirety of Eyena‘s acolytes as well as her armor farseer. Still no sign of your apprentice.” Gritting her teeth Niena lined up another shot at the pathetic humans working that thriced cursed gun emplacement. Unfortunately the guardsmen manning it lept into the trenches at his feet avoiding the deadly shot. The only one to kill any number of humans seemed to be exarch Akamon, his brood was deep behind enemy lines cutting down hapless humans left and right.
“FORWARD!” Commander Renolds shouted to his men. “For the Emperor, we must sally forth an oust these xenos. Not one step backwards men.” Responding the line slowly moved out from the trench lines into the open field. The commander knew that if these xenos were not dealt with soon they were likely to be swept from the field. While the men rushed forward the two tanks turned their guns on the Eldar quickly creeping behing the lines. Lasguns seemed whole ineffective against their thick armor, but the heavy tank shells atleast managed to kill a few of the bastards.Thankfully the defense guns proved their worth once more. drawing a bead on one of the damned eldar skimmers and sending it crashing to the ground.
Niena scowled as the first of the heavy tanks went down to a shell through it’s cockpit. Worse the humans had finally begun to come out of there holes, surging across the field. Thankfully the war host was still strong enough to put at least a dent in the advancing forces. Exarch Akamon was proving his worth again distracting a large portion of their forces with precision hit and run strikes. While they had taken casualties the spiders still struck back hard killing more than their weight in humans.
The Eldar were certainly putting up a fight, every inch of ground they gained cost handfuls of good men, cut to ribbons by shuriken fire. To their credit the men stood firm refusing to retreat even when faced with such heavy losses. Unfortunately, the last of the xenos tanks managed to avoid yet another fulsade from the vanquishers causing the commander to eject some rather colorful expletives. He knew the next moments would decide this battle, either the charge would succeed and they would sweep the xenos from the field in the emperor’s name. Or they would all be cut down like cattle in front of the Eldar’s guns.
“Farseer the last of the stones have been recovered here. Still no sign of your apprentice.” Exarch Meeran reported.
“Very well exarch, hold position until we have pushed back their thrust.” The humans continued to advance under heavy fire. Niena had lost count of how many humans had been cut down as they attempted to cross their lines. It seemed like their numbers were endless, every one cut down was soon replaced by a second eagerly charging into her sights.
Commander Renolds realized that he did not have enough men left to secure the field, far too many had been lost in the advance in part due to that damned skimmer that was still operational.
“If we can’t have it then we’ll just have to make sure they can’t either.” Screaming into his command vox, “I want all firepower directed to the xenos squad center left, I want them OBLITERATED!”
Exarch Meeran’s squad, mostly ignored throughout the intense firefight was now engulfed in a searing firestorm. Even the guards heavy tanks had turned towards their position, the aspect warrior’s formidable armor nothing when against a shell designed to pierce the sides of tanks. Through the fusillade it seemed that only exarch Meeran survived and even he was badly wounded, part of his armor broken and melted by the tank’s guns. Knowing the to remain would only result in more dead Niena ordered the withdrawal.
