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Prelude

El Quixo gazed through the forest canopy, eager to get a glimpse of his new foe. The gue’la were bad enough, but his pathfinders had reported back that the enemy comprised an armoured advance, and El Quixo had only been able to requisition one broadside, Antoch, who was encamped in a camouflaged bunker deep in the forest. “These heavy gue’la worry me” Quixo murmured to his personal log. “This fire fight will be brief and the blood of Tau and Kroot alike is sure to be spilt, but we must make the machines of man stop in their tracks…”


Mission – Annihilation
Deployment – Spearhead
Before the battle is joined



The dark angels chaplain commander deployed all his forces ready to advance in turn one. El Quixo reacted by infiltrating both a unit of Kroot and pathfinders deep in the forest, hoping to harry a tactical unit, and a second group of Kroot attempted to outflank. The other Tau units adopted covered positions in preparation. The dakka pred stayed well back to the rear of the table however angels dreadnoughts, razorback, rhino and jump troops, lead by chaplain Bartuc, were deployed as far forward as possible.





Turn1

In the first turn all dark angels units advanced en masse towards the main Tau gunline. Chaplain Bartuc, seein g the devastation pathfinder-guided firepower could wreak in his minds eye, concentrated dreadnought and tank fire on the Tau scouts. The pathfinders, despite their being in cover, were massacred, the surviving troops fleeing the battle.

The Tau reacted quickly, missile pod shots raining into dreadnought Delphius. The missiles slammed home, and cheers sounded on the Tau comm. Link as the dreadnought was reduced to mere smoke…. But no! Brother Delphius emerged, unscarred, unfazed! Antoch had had enough of this. Without his comrade Moroc to distract him from his target crosshairs, the keen eyed Kroot pilot scored a driect hit on the Razorback drive system, reducing the armour to mere ruin. The tactical squad disembarked and had to take cover from flying shrapnel (pinned). The Kroot in the woods decided to snipe at the space marines standing atop church ruins, with one true shot impaling an emperors chamption. The crisis suits jet packed into cover to await the marine response



KP SM 1 – Tau 1


Turn 2

The dreadnoughts moved relentlessly, tirelessly forwards, Phileas, crunching ancient trees beneath their metallic bulk, the earth shaking as they advanced. The Marine Rhino, carrying a full squad, rolled through the treeline and as it ground to a halt, the emperors chosen leapt out, spraying bolter and plasma fire. Several shots punched through crisis suit armour, and two shield drones were destroyed by plasma gun shots. On the other flank, the dakka pred punched out shot after shot, the even the Kroot in their natural element could not emerge unscathed from such an assault. Several hounds and Kroot were slain by this onslaught. The assault squad lead by Bartuc, landed in the trees nearby the crisis team. Despite one warrior flying into a solid bough, the assault team were close enough to assault El Quixo and his unit. Blows flew back and forth, and two of El Quixos most trusted Shas’uis lay, lifeless shells, afterward. However El Quixo would not retreat, and fought on!

This was time to make the shots count! But Antoch, seeing so many of his comrades fall, could not steady himself and missed his railgun shot on the Rhino! The outflanking Kroot appeared on the same flank and immediately disappeared into the foliage nearby. The fire from the ion hammerhead was way off target, mislead by electromnagnatic decoys. The devilfish transport swooped low toward the wrecked raxorback, but its smart missiles did not harm the disembarked space marines.

KP SM 2 – Tau 1





Turn 3

The tactical squad, plasma gun only slightly cooling, saddled back up into their Rhino, which moved to threaten the Kroot. Preadator shells continued to take their toll on the hidden Kroot, who went to ground. Dreadnought Phileas, powering up his Multimelta, strode forward and took aim at the Ion cannon turret, instantaneously melting it and the unfortunate gunner. El Quixo swung his servo-assisted bulk at the chaplain, the space marine at his own height despite EL Quixos exo armour. Bartuc parried the clumsy, robotic blows and cruelly stabbed El Quixos chest, like a rapier. The Tau leader fell.



Things were unraveling very badly at this stage, so bold action was needed to preserve this proudly preserved Tau battle line. Firstly, the Devlifish pilot was give the order to close range with the tactical squad with the aim of annihilating the unit. As the fire warriors loosed rapid fire on the marines, three stood standing, the shots raining off their armour. The hammerhead, shorn of its ion cannon, attemped to engage Dephius’ rear armour but failed to penetrate.
The Kroot in the main battle area rapid fired the assault squad and killed all but Chaplain commander Bartuc, who rose, like a hellish resurrected demon from the carnage.





Antoch started rhyming off Tau political leaders since antiquity, his green targeting runes glowing over the Rhino as he did so. A huge explosion followed!

KP SM 3 – Tau 3




Turn 4

The dark angel net tightened around the Tau. Delphius annihilated the fire warriors with flames with his incinerators, while his colleague of over a century, Phileas, assaulted and immobilized the Hammerhead, puncturing its inverse-gravity unit. The remenants of the right flank tactical unit closed range and let rip against the devilfish, the melta gunner noting with surprise the thermal properties of Tau materials in liquid form.
Bartuc assaulted broadside Antoch, while the Kroot felt the pain of rapid fire marine bolted from the unscratched tactical squad. The Kroot ran to fight another day, while nobody had told Antoch the script. He grabbed the already wounded Bartuc, who for a moment glimpsed his reflection on the broadsides pilot canopy. Seconds later his helmet was crushed beneath the leg servos of Antoch! Forgetting his Tau conditioning for a moment, he bellowed to his ancient gods and opened his helmet, devouring Bartuc!

Antoch, recovering his composure, observed the rear armour of Delphius, and noted the critical systems his in-flight system suggested as prime target. He took this advice, and Delphius was sent to guard the proverbial emperors throne.

KP SM 5 – Tau 5


Turn 5

It seemed unlikely that that the battle had been so close, with many more casualties on the Tau side than marine, however close it indeed still was. The marines obliterated the remaining Kroot at the main gunline area, and Phileas finally ripped open the hammerhead and watched its terrified gunners and pilot flee, only to be blown away to join Delphius by broadside Antoch, who despite the defeat lived to fight another day, as he switched his broadside to stealth mode and started tracking his kroot colleagues who had sensibly decided on Full Tactical Withdrawal.


KP SM 7 – Tau 6

Dark angels victory

Thoroughly enjoyed! (For a moment I thought you had written up ours!)

Was the Dark angel army "Green Marines" or actually using the Dark Angel Codex??

Nice report...

Enjoyed this immensely. Nice to see the Imperium won, if I may venture some personal bias.

Nice report Troy.

I prefer batreps with a story.

AtraAngelis wrote:Was the Dark angel army "Green Marines" or actually using the Dark Angel Codex??

Nice report...

I was using the marine codex..

Well written Troy and GG to boot!