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It was the 132nd year of the campaign to purge the foul stench of Chaos from the Traxxis Star Cluster. 257 Imperial worlds under siege in the most extensive breach of Chaos since the Armaggedon Campaign. And this very week, an entire phalanx of those tainted and corrupt walking monstrosities. Half Daemon, half machine. Soulgrinders.
We received a distress call 3 weeks ago from TS-57. A small world, but one abundant in mineral resources. A world still held in reserve by the Mechanicum for the time when its mineral wealth will be required to further provide for the needs of the Empire. An entire Imperial Guard Division under attack. Not a siege, but outright attack. The tactics of Chaos are changed. No longer content with raids and years long sieges, they are actively moving. Hunting. Searching. In response to the distress call, and to further determine what the forces of Chaos are planning, Grand Inquisitor Takeda has dispatched a strike group of the Katana Chapter of Space Marines. A mission to discover what the enemy objective is. All other considerations are secondary.
In usual style, the Katana Strike Force dropped from the skies at sunrise. The sun to their backs, blinding the enemy in morning lite. The initial wave of drop pods landing within meters of their programmed path. A savaged company of Guardsmen were holding a last ditch stand against a force they were completely incapable of standing before. 5 Soulgrinders led by that Daemon of ill-luck known as The Weaver of Fate. A few of the puny Plague Bearers scurried between their spidery legs, but to be true, 5 Soulgrinders at once indicates the forces of Chaos are determined to hold these worlds at whatever cost.
Before the 1st pod even settled, Daimyo Tokugawa was leading the charge into the teeth of this force, which was ravaging a town, searching and destroying every building. While the brave Marines of the 1st squad poured Melta's cleansing wrath into a decadently colored Tzeench-Grinder, The Daimyo brought glorious flame to the Plaguebearers. Ordering his squad to continue firing on the 1st Grinder, he charged strait into the brutish creatures. The artistry of the sword stroke, the glint of sunlight upon the pure adamantium blade even as the ancient weapons energy systems hummed their song of death, in a single charge, with the grace of a dancer fit for the Emperors own Court, The Daimyo dispatched the entire group with nary a scratch on his resplendent red armor. His personal Shashimono banner, still flying without even a smudge of dirt upon the pure white and red fabric. Across the town, Sgt Shizumi had split his squad, having tasked his Multi-Melta specialist to assist in taking down that Tzeench-Grinder. He then led his cohort into another group of the vile Plague Bearers, hitting them with concentrated Flamers, then following with their own assault.
For half the day the cohort fought the disgusting beasts. Yet for everyone that fell, it was like 2 more came into being. It was only when a festering Nurgle-Grinder charged in, that Sgt Shizumi and his cohort fell. Yet even with his last swing, he struck down the final Plague Bearer. A magnificent blow that truly showed his mastery of the ancient Ninjakatsu skills he had honed for centuries.
The second wave now arrived, Terminators of the 1st Company. Having received word of the situation, the 1st Company arrived with the tools they would need. The great Hammers of Imperial Thunder and the marvelous energy shields that let them deflect even the most lethal of weapons. A shot that could kill a tank would barely be noticed. With the Pods locator beacons fully functional, the 1st of the 1st arrived already on the charge. The horrid Tzeench-Grinder had charged The Daimyo. This was now a matter of honor. No foul creature would ever be allowed in the presence of his greatness. The 1st charged in, Hammers beating that Tzeench-Grinder down. Naturally that Weaver would aide his minion with the foul magics he can summon. For every ten blows the 1st struck, only 1 would get through, the rest hitting empty air as the Tzeench-Grinder faded in and out of existence.
Then, with no warning, the Daemon-kind struck back. The strange flying creatures called Blight Drones came in from over the hills. They decimated the squad of Marines that had arrived in the Daimyos Pod. Yet the squad fought on. 2 more of the foul creatures made a line strait for the remnants of the Imperial Guard Company, with foul poison gas killing the Commander and his last squad of men. A lone Battle tank stood ground pouring shots into the 3rd Drone, damaging its engines and causing it to flutter away at high speed, overflying the battlefield and disappearing over the horizon (speed-locked). Then the last of the Guards own Air Corp arrived. A Magnificent A-6M Vendetta. The rising sun emblem matching the sun in the sky. Las Cannons sending beams hotter than the sun strait through the Drone that had just killed their comrades. The Drone exploding and showering the area with all manner of pus and pestilence. 3 other Nurgle-Grinders returned fire on the magnificent bird, and Flight Officer Shigura was sent on his final Flight to bathe is the warmth of the Emperors love. The attack ship Akagi shall miss one of their finest pilots.
Of note, the 3 Nurgle-Grinders then returned to investigating the wreckage in the town, firing random shots into the Marines who came down in the pods. Each shot killing a few. They are searching for something, yet I do not believe they know what it is. At this point The Daimyo and the remaining Terminators broke off from the Tzeench-Grinder...a move I had witnessed a hundred times (lost combat, failed Leadership). The Tzeench-Grinder and the 4th Nurgle-Grinder sensed victory and charged forward. Only to be smashed as the 2nd Squad of 1st Company Terminators arrived on target and met the charge.
The trap sprung, the remaining Space Marines of the 1st wave were free to investigate, to collect the vital data that was beyond the value of an entire Company of Marines. The Daimyo personally moved towards a series of mounds where the last Drone was hovering, searching.
The Terminators of the 1st and 2nd were mercilessly battering the 2 cousin Grinders. And then, in the waning light of the setting sun, a fatal blow. The Nurgle-Grinder mis-stepped and a Thunder hammer found its mark to be true. A blinding explosion ensued as the Nurgle-Grinder was rendered into pieces no larger than a small childs hand. Then, as if out of a dream, with the 2 Terminator Squads ready to provide their undivided attention to the Tzeench-grinder, a call from The Weaver; "It is found, it is found." And with those cryptic words, every Daemon on the planet vanished.
We will hold orbit for 3 days to ensure no further Daemon presence remains, then turn the watch over to the newly arrived 47th Division of the Daimyo's own Auxiliary Guard. We will also bring on reinforcements from the Strike Cruiser Mogami to bring The Daimyos forces up to full strength. Our quasi-deads of the Astronomicon have sensed the path the Daemons took as they fled TS-57. Three viable worlds lay within that path. An agriculture world devastated by Daemonic plague, a jungle world not yet colonized, and a world devoid of water and life, but rumored to have ancient ruins and structures. Whatever it is they think they found, we will follow. We will cleanse them from our universe, and we will know the secret that has brought the stench of Chaos to this Cluster in such great and varied forces.

Space Marines: Attacker
Vulkan.
2x Tac Squad, Melta, Multi-Melta, SGT with Combi-melta, Drop pod (1 with Locator beacon).
1x Tac Sqd ; Flamer, Multi-Melta, SGT with combi-flamer, Drop Pod with Locator beacon
2x TH/SS Terminators
Allied IG: Company Command Squad
1x Plasma-Vet Squad
1x Leman Russ Exterminator (HB sponsons)
1x Vendetta

Daemons: Defender
Fate weaver
4x Nurgle Soul Grinders
1x Tzeench Soul Grinder
2x Plague Bearer squads
3x Blight Drones.
(NOTE: In Planet Strike the Defender can take up to 6 Heavy FOC...hence 5 Soulgrinders)
A 6 round game, with each side holding 4 objectives. The Space Marines getting the overall victory from the "First Blood" point. Kyle brought a tough list...AV 13 with 4++ and 2++ saves from the Weavers various psychic powers. The win came from a very last punch-6 on the Nurgle-Grinder from a thunder hammer. This cost Kyle his 5th objective while Vulkan was able to run just far enough to claim my 4th...giving us a tie on primary. Neither of us had Warlord or Line-Breaker points.