Apotheosis Chapter 5: Prizes
1850 Points Necrons vs. Necrons/NewTau
Link to Previous Report
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/524921.page
Xerxius paced the bridge of his flagship, progress was painfully slow. After a series of victories on the ground and in space, the remaining Tau had gone to ground, and systematically used precise guerrilla warfare to disrupt the Bedouin efforts to retrieve the Engram.
The code could make all the difference in re-activating the dormant and vulnerable World Engine. With the proper modification protocols, it would be easier to bring under his control.
Now if only they could retrieve the blasted thing. The Tau had locked it down well. It would take additional time to fully secure it for the dynasty.
“My Lord” came a message from the surface.
“What is it Teletrix. You had best have good news as opposed to excuses.”
“I have uncovered the key to unlocking the Engram. There is a facility here, with 5 security substations, I am introducing scrapcode that will unlock them in precisely 3.25 hours. We simply must be in control of the majority of them, and our prize is assured.”
“Excellent…I want you to”
As the Overlord Spoke, Several Necron Ships Emerged from the dark side of the Tau moon. They bore the crests of the Menephet Dynasty.
A communique was forthcoming.
“Greetings Xerxius”
“Greetings…what was your name again…”
“I will overlook your exuberance for now. I am Hep’natep, Lord of the Menephet. You will show the respect I am owed.”
“Why are you here…I am simply subjugating these worms.”
“I am laying claim to the Engram located on the surface of this miserable world. It is mine by right as it lays in our ancestral lands.”
“Nonsense. I have already gone to the surface and uncovered it. You will not be stealing my prize by a technicality. I challenge you to combat via proxy. You would be dishonored should you deny me.”
The opposing overlord paused, pondering his options.
“Very well. You will have you challenge. Single Combat. Half an hour at the following coordinates.”
“We will see you there”
The feed cut.
“Teletrix, re-activate your pet, send our best combat units, kill those fools, forget the challenge. I WANT MY PRIZE!”
“Yes my lord.”
Potentus re-awoke, diagnostics once again ran. He stood amongst a veritable army on the surface of Risea still. Across the way were other Necrons. Good Victims as any he thought as he gripped his warscythe tightly.
The Bedouin Dynasty
Destroyer Lord
WS/
MSS/
SW
X6 Wraiths
X6 Wraiths
x7 Scarab Swarms
x10 Immortals (Tesla)
x10 Immortals (Tesla)
x10 Immortals (Gauss)
x10 Warriors (In Night Scythe)
X3 Annihilation Barges
x1 Triarch Stalker w/
HGC
The Menephet Dynasty
Destroyer Lord
WS/
MSS/
SW
x6 Wraiths
X5 Warriors (In Reserve)
X5 Warriors (In Night Scythe)
X5 Warriors (In Night Scythe)
X3 Annihilation Barges
Bastion w/ Quad Gun
Tau Guerrillas
Fireblade
X12 Fire Warriors
x10 Pathfinders x4 Ion Cannons
Longstrike Railhead
Riptide (
Fnp)
Crusade: 5 Objectives
Hammer and Anvil Deployment
Initiative: Bedouin Dynasty
Onboard the Renak’het, Xerxius Stared coldly at his opponent, their pieces all in place.
“I see you didn’t come alone…neither did I…my best troops await you. Stand down now, and I’ll let you leave without taking possession of your fleet too.”
“Ah…see I knew you would not adhere to the rules of combat, so I brought some friends, I believe you are acquainted.”
At this point on the tactical display, a sizable force of Tau guerrillas appeared along with their Necron Allies, itching for battle, their weapons humming in readiness for carnage.
Turn 1 Bedouin Dynasty
The wraiths, scarabs, barges, and stalker all advance. Meanwhile, Immortal squads secure three of the substations required to download the engram…and the clock was ticking.
The sky crackles as the barges fire what they can, guided by the heavy gauss cannon of the stalker relaying them data, however, they do not manage to down a barge to strike the first blow.
The scarabs and wraiths run, however they do not move their full distance to stay out of charge range of the enemy’s command squad.
Turn 1 Menephet Dynasty
The destroyer lord and wraiths move up, meanwhile a massive riptide class battlesuit gracefully positions itself to rain destruction on the wraiths.
Simultaneously, a hammerhead lines up an Annihilation Barge.
All hell breaks out as the Tau enact their vengeance on their invaders, pulse rifles, quad guns, markerlights, ion cannons and annihilation barges light up Potentus and his wraith retinue, killing several of the squad, however, they are still combat ready.
The Riptide unleashes a massive blast of plasma, however the timing engrams of the wraiths prevent them from being reduced to a ruin.
The Annihilation Barge barely has time to act as a railgun slug blasts it to shreds, it crashes into the ground in pieces.
“HAH Xerxius! My allies have struck the first blow! You will falter!”
Xerxius sat silently, the pieces were in place.
Turn 2 Bedouin Dynasty
The expected air support did not arrive, however that quad gun is in a great place to make it hard to stay in the airspace…Xerxius scheduled the flight arrival time for after their fighters arrived themselves accordingly.
Immortals marched out from their substations slightly, seeing as their guns may be called for.
In a brilliantly timed stroke, the two wraith units and scarabs converge on the enemy wraith command unit.
However, before they can hit, one of the two remaining annihilation barges are joined by the immortals to rain fire on them and soften them up, to good effect.
The other barge opens fire on the fire warrior squad on the bastion, killing several of the number, however they refuse to flee.
The Stalker pilot unleashes his Heavy Gauss Cannon once again, destroying the damaged barge from before, fire streaking up to the heavens.
Then comes the tide, as the three assault units collide with their enemy.
“Come! Face Oblivion Bedouin!”
“I will watch your demise…from here you hunk of scrap metal!”
The Bedouin Destroyer Lord Stands back as the combat commences, Wraiths circling and striking at one another, their blades passing through sometimes, and colliding in others in one swirling cloud of destruction, meanwhile scarabs tear into and attach themselves to anything unfriendly in the area, eating away at their forms. The enemy holds after taking significant casualties
Turn 2 Menephet Dynasty
Xerxius noticed his opponent looking nervous with the ongoing melee so close to his lines, despite the fact that one of his flyover had arrived, streaking towards his immortals guarding the keys to victory.
The Tau remain largely stationary, lining up new targets, swearing vengeance on those who had ruined their home.
The Tau Hammerhead fires again, and the driver is puzzled after his round connects solidly…and fails to do anything to the second barge, arcane protections shielding it from harm. The two remaining barges open up on it after that, and do some minor damage.
The Riptide twitches in a jerking fashion as its Nova Reactor goes haywire, causing damage, however, the pilot lines up the Triarch Stalker, but fails to damage it.
The Night Scythe opens fire on the immortals on the ground, their forms absorb a majority of the punishment however.
The swirling chaos in the middle of the battlefield, a veritable dance of death between the precision strikes of the wraiths and the brute simplicity of the scarabs. The Wraiths accompanying Potentus all show battle damage, their numbers depleted as scarabs eat away at the enemy lord.
“YOU CANNOT HIDE FROM OBLIVION! I WILL GET YOU!”
“Come on then, kill me, we’re all dead anyway!”
The enemy wraith unit is almost wiped out.
Turn 3 Bedouin Dynasty
Xerxius would have smiled as he crossed his arms, watching his night scythe come into play. However, he had not remembered the enemy quad gun, who fires on an interceptor course.
“Clever…very clever…”
He winces as the pilot jinks two surely penetrating hits, and the immortals draw firing lines on the speeding enemy fighter.
The Night Scythe pilot opens up on the opposing Night Scythe, however, the enemy pilot proves equally skilled, only taking minor damage from the immortals on the ground.
The Triarch Stalker pilot, realizing the danger of the hammerhead, lines up a shot, its gauss cannon rocking the skimmer, and stunning its crew.
An annihilation barge fires on the pathfinders, killing several, their charred bodies tumbling from the building they hide in, exploding into clouds of ash on the ground.
Its twin fires on the fire warriors towering above the battle, whittling them down further. Their screams echoing across the battlefield over the whirring combat below.
In a final act of desperation, the enemy wraiths only target the retinue of Potentus, they however fail to reach the cackling destroyer lord through his fearless bodyguards.
They in kind, are torn to pieces, scarabs eating the parts, and ensuring they would not return, they consolidate towards the Annihilation Barges nearby, while the relatively undamaged unit heads for the towering riptide battlesuit.
“Your champion is dead Hep’natep! I have won my prize! You will withdraw!” Taunts Xerxius
“DAMN THE RULES! CUT THEM DOWN! KILL THEM!” Replies the infuriated Overlord
Turn 3 Menephet Dynasty
Another Night Scythe Arrives, as more Necrons walk onto the field, claiming a power substation.
The Newly Arriving Night Scythe Lines up a strafing run on the scarabs, as its twin flies away, lining up another pass.
Firewarriors, and a annihilation barge kill off the rest of Potentus’ retinue, however the stubborn destroyer lord simply refuses to die, eyeing further carnage.
The riptide hops down from its perch, overcharging its energy field protection, joining its fire with that of the newly-arrived warriors to destroy two wraiths, the pilot then crashes his massive suit into the wraith squad, flailing wildly at his agile opponents, who evade his attempts to smash them, they manage to tear a chunk out of its reactor’s armor.
The scarabs burn by the dozen as the Menephet flyer tears into them, killing half the remaining swarm.
The Tau pathfinders use their markerlights to aid the beleaguered hammerhead’s targeting systems, the crack crew managing to hit an agile barge solidly, however, the pilot manages to jink at the last second and save the vehicle from immanent destruction.
However its sister barge is much less lucky, the toll of repeated lighting strikes shorting out its engines, and wrecking it.
Turn 4 Bedouin Dynasty
Xerxius couldn’t help but laugh, his plans were coming to fruition, despite his losses. He only had to hold…and wait…as he stared at the timer counting down, it was almost over…
The Night Scythe flies forward, disgorging warriors before the hammerhead, their gauss weaponry primed.
Meanwhile, the immortals hold fast as the annihilation barge and stalker shuffle around, their fire kills several pathfinders, however they go to ground in their cover, saving the majority of the potential damage.
Close by, gauss weapons unload, joining tesla destructors, wrecking the hammerhead beyond operation, its protections unable to save it in its unmoving state.
Potentus charges an annihilation barge, as nearby scarabs do the same, both barges are reduced to smoldering wrecks via warscythe attacks, or via scarabs eating out the engine core.
The wraiths cannot find a weakness in the riptide’s energy field as the monstrosity crushes a damaged wraith into the dirt, where it lays twitching.
Turn 4 Menephet Dynasty
The two Night Scythes are both in play, one lining up my scarabs where the ruined parts of their barges lay. The other would fly towards the Bedouin Side of the field.
Once more, fire warriors and warrior combine their fire, bringing the quad gun to bear, and finally down Potentus.
“Dust….alll….issss…..duuussttttttttttt”
The light fades in his eyes, holes blasted through his torso, and he ceases his movement.
The scarabs are whittled away to nearly nothing by the returning night scythe.
Meanwhile, one Night Scythes open fire on the middle immortal squad, killing several of their number, however, their orders to hold override their need for survival.
The Riptide pilot jerks once again violently, as his suit overloads. The wraiths manage to deal additional damage as the Riptide Crushes another wraith. The suit raggedly holds on.
Turn 5 Bedouin Dynasty
“This is it…the end….how does being beaten feel? Is it satisfying as victory?”
“We’ll see… says the overlord smugly..”
This worried Xerxius greatly.
The Bedouins continue their assault, the immortals beginning to pull back onto their substations, awaiting the transmission.
Meanwhile, the warrior squad rapid fires the pathfinders, reaping a bloody toll as the scarabs close on them.
The stalker and annihilation barge fire on the close night scythe, however they cannot seem to harm the flawless pilot.
The wraiths and Riptide continue their struggle, however neither side can gain an advantage.
Scarabs charge into the pathfinders, and they meet, the warriors fighting for their lives against the weakened swarm.
Turn 5 Menephet Dynasty.
A Night Scythe flies hard for the Bedouin lines, disgorging their warriors right onto the back end of one of the relays, disrupting the signal there. They also manage, by combining their fire, to shoot the immortals off another, and out of range of the transmission.
The other scythe drops off its payload on the middle substation, claiming it for the time being.
The quad gun stuns the Bedouin flyer, as it lazily sails across the sky
The warriors move, joined by the firewarriors, onto the middle relay, securing it.
Xerxius slammed his hands on the console…NO! NOT LIKE THIS! MY PRIZE!
The timer was ticking away the final seconds!
The pathfinders manage to kill the last scarabs with their rifle butts, stamping them into the dust.
The riptide and wraiths once again prove ineffectual against one another, the tireless robots simply unable to scratch the suit’s armor, and the suit unable to bypass the wraith’s phase shifters.
3….2…..1…..
The timer ended
“So….how does it feel Xerxius? Is it as good as victory?”
“No…..no…no…no! DAMN
IT!”
Meanwhile Teletrix walked forward unbidden…Xerxius reached for his scythe…furious at the turn of events.
“My lord, I re-programmed the algorithm in a burst transmission, we have a bit more time…” chuckled the trickster.
Meanwhile on the opposite screen, Overlord Hep’natep slammed his hands on his command throne, obviously having realized the turn of events.
Turn 6 Bedouin Dynasty
Immortals hike back into safe range of their relays.
Warriors move to try and destabilize the enemy connection to the middle relay.
The Triarch Stalker and barge hover over the middle objective.
The warriors try and knock the back five man squad of warriors off their relay, however, one hides out of their line of sight, the dull creature standing as two of its brothers rises to fight.
The triarch stalker fires its heavy gauss cannon again, slagging the nearest warrior. Meanwhile the annihilation barge kills a few of the remaining fire warriors, however, they grab effective cover going to ground at the relay.
Meanwhile, the immortals wipe out the warriors throwing a monkey wrench into their plans, and glance their transport.
The frustrated stalker pilot cannot draw a charge line on the Necrons holding the relay.
The Wraiths and Riptide continue their seamless dance of melee, unable to hurt one another.
Turn 6 Menephet Dynasty
The Menephet warriors move back into range of the rearmost relay, as pathfinders rain blobs of ion cannon fire onto the exposed warriors, nearly wiping the squad.
The night scythes try one last time to cause an immortal unit to run, however, despite substantial losses, they do not.
The revised timer ticked to 0 once again.
Xerxius shot a look like a bolt shell at his head cryptek
“Do…we….have…it..?”
Teletrix glanced down at a console, and nodded slowly.
“Now…. Hep’natep, victory is mine. I claim my prize, you will withdraw as the codes of battle dictate.”
The Overlord killed the feed as his troops began their withdrawal from the world.
Battalions of immortals marched forward, wiping out the last of the abandoned tau rebels with volleys of precision fire.
The Conquest of Riesa was complete.
10000 pts
4000 pts
haha
