Apotheosis Chapter 4: Reprisals
Link to Chapter 3:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/523217.page
Space was a vast, black expanse, filled with life, filled with wonders both breathtaking and terrible to know. However, in this case, still being in space, was a detriment to the Bedouin cause. Sensors had picked up power readings of Necron origin in this system, which it would seem, were under the rule of the young upstart Tau. When the Necron host had arrived and blotted out the sun, they contacted them in an attempt to negotiate. At first, they had been welcoming, and offered gifts. However, when the true gift they sought was announced, the negotiations had….stalled. The upstarts were waiting, and for what, Xerxius did not wish to discover.
A flashing status light appeared on the Cairn-Class battleship’s command console. He activated the holo-feed, Teletrix looking on from across the room silently and respectfully. The water caste negotiator he had grown to know in the past week appeared, however this time he did not bow as before….curious.
“Overlord Xerxius, I have been in contact with our leaders, however I do not believe we can bestow the artifact to you as a gift. As such, I regret I must end these negotiations. You must leave our space at once.”
“Under whose authority? You have no fleet young one. I could break your planet in half with a word worm. I have been more than patient with you, but no more! YOU WILL BOW
TO YOUR BETTERS!”
“This is your final chance to leave, lest we use lethal and final force against you. The Tau is always victorious.”
“So be it, I’ll enjoy mounting your heads on pikes denoting your failure to history.”
The holofeed cut.
At that time, dozens of alarms sprang to life, as a Tau fleet of considerable size decloaked nearby.
So that was why they had stalled for time.
Xerxius had been played, and he wanted reprisal.
“Send Potentus to the surface, and let that damned destroyer-crazed fool do what he does best! All batteries! Open Fire! Evasive action!”
The ship lurched as the strike force assembled, and was ferried to the surface, Gauss Obliterator batteries and anti-matter particle cannons blasting apart ships with reckless abandon. Eons in space had honed their fleet combat skills to a razor’s edge.
Potentus awoke, diagnostics ran, that fiend Teletrix had introduced an engram into his programming to shut him down at any time. The battlefield was recently bombarded, and the buildings reduced to ruins. He had troops under his command. He assumed he was intended to destroy. It fit him well. Obviously the enemy were coming to him, given the dust rising from the east. He ordered his troops to form into a battle line and await them.
The Bedouin Dynasty
Destroyer Lord
WS/
MSS/
SW
X6 Wraiths
X10 Gauss Immortals
X10 Tesla Immortals
X3 Annihilation Barges
Vol’che Sept Tau
Shas-o w/ x2 markerlight drone, Plasma Gun, Missile System
X12 Fire warriors with x2 marker drones, Sergeant with Markerlight
X12 Fire warriors with x2 marker drones, Sergeant with Markerlight
X1 Devilfish
X12 Kroot Snipers
x1 Hammerhead with Railgun.
X3 Stealth Suits, x2 Burst Cannons, x1 Fusion Blaster
Mission: Big Guns Never Tire!
Initiative, Tau
No night fighting
Necrons fail to seize
Turn 1 Tau
The Tau Shas-O strode to the front of his brave warriors, they awaited words of wisdom before they engaged.
“They have provoked us to this action. And we will answer with full force. They will be repelled here, and in space! And we will once again know peace on this planet! Fire warriors!
TO ME!”
In stark contrast, the Necrons stood silently.
The Tau clambered into buildings and trenches, setting up firing lines, as markerlights searched the haze for targets as the stealth suits moved ahead towards the Necron Barges. The tesla immortals were marked with several lights, as a strong barrage of fire came into them, cutting down a couple, however, the true damage came from a submunition round from the hammerhead’s railgun. Luckily, the squad’s survival programs did not activate, and they began to pull themselves together, only one immortal remained on the ground.
Myriad fire streaked into the marked wriaths and destroyer lord, which was largely ineffective against Potentus’ heavy armor.
Necrons turn 1
The Necron host began its ceaseless march towards the foe. Potentus and his wraiths charge headlong towards the center of the battle line.
Barges moved to block line of sight to the anti-armor punishment the hammerhead could dish out.
Simultaneously, the immortals and a barge light up the Tau stealth suits, who are vaporized for their efforts to slag a barge with their fusion blaster. The other two barges open up on the fire warriors across the way from them, the cover, despite being strong, cannot save them all.
On the opposite flank, Gauss Immortals rain fire on the hammerhead, however it takes good cover behind a ruined bunker, preventing any real damage.
Tau Turn 2
The Tau commander moves to reinforce the center, as it becomes painfully obvious what will happen should the wraiths reach his men. Markerlights rain down on the wraiths as they slither forward towards the battle line.
The whole Tau army unleashes hell upon the Wraith unit, wounds pile up, however, the unpredictable timing of phase shifters prevents any wraith casualties, while Potentus tanks a large amount of pulse rifle fire, while avoiding the incoming plasma and railgun fire.
The Tau commander, removes himself from charge range by jumping into a nearby building.
Necrons turn 2
The living were weeds, they needed to die
“DIE! DIE! RETURN
TO DUST YOU VERMIN! DIEEE!” Screams the Destroyer Lord as he arrives at the Tau Battle line.
“THEY’RE COMING! BRING THEM DOWN! BRING THEM DOWN!” Yells the panicking Shas-Vre.
Meanwhile, Immortals march forward, raining Tesla fire on firewarriors within right building on the right, rewarded with their screams of panic.
On the left, Gauss Immortals are again fail to find purchase against the Hammerhead.
The annihilation barges add their fire, targeting the Tau commander. His battlesuit holds fast against the first two volleys, his drones both reduced to smoking husks, and his armor blackened. However, the third volley blasts him off his feet, and over the side of the building, where he lays, unmoving. Seeing this, the Tau Fire warriors begin to retreat.
Simultaneously, the Wraiths multi-assault the devilfish and fire warriors. With a few deft swipes of his warscythe, the skimmer loses both its repulsor pods, overloads, and explodes, killing a wraith, along with the Tau overwatch. The firewarriors bravely hold their ground, killing a wraith, and losing several of their number in reply.
Tau Turn 3
The Tau line is in disarray, the firewarriors on the right flank continue to run past their slain warlord.
The hammerhead lines up a barge, and lets fly, the solid round connecting with a barge, which seems to shudder, and then practically implode, fragments raining across the battlefield from the firepower visited upon it.
The Kroot fire on the encroaching Gauss Immortals, dropping a handful, however, some return to battle, dragging themselves up the side of the ruined bunker.
The swirling melee abruptly ends, as Potentus joins the fray with bloody abandon, cleaving firewarriors as the wraiths tear the unfortunate souls apart. The remaining survivor runs from the field in horror. As the unit moves towards the kroot.
Necrons turn 3
Gauss immortals crest the bunker, and unleash punishing salvos of Gauss Blaster fire on the hammerhead, which remains barely afloat after suffering two damaging hits. However, the skilled pilot manages to evade the efforts of the Annihilation barges to finish it off.
The wraiths and destroyer lord pile onto the kroot, losing another member to overwatch. The kroot jump to their own defense, dropping another wraith with their blades. Potentus unleashes his mindshackle scarabs, afflicting a kroot, who in his flailing, kills himself, and two of his squadmates. The wraiths and warscythe finish off the rest.
The weay and broke survivors clambered aboard the smoking hammerhead, endeavoring to escape the wrath of the metallic menace in their midst, however, they would not get very far.
Potentus reveled in the carnage he had wrought, it was glorious, and complete, their losses had been minimal. He howled his victory to the sky, which was raining Tau ship wreckage in a makeshift orbital bombardment.
So much destruction, it was beautiful.
He heard an invasion beam transport something behind him, which he turned to face. It was Teletrix. He hefted his warscythe to strike the trickster down, and be free once and for all!
Then the world went black.
“Tsk…tsk…tsk… I own you, you sorry fool, you are my slave until the end of time. Its about time you understood that.” Said Teletrix, patting the now completely inert Destroyer Lord on his head.
He turned his eyes to the horizon, and he said to the assembled strike force.
“Find me that negotiator. NOW”
It wasn’t long before the water-caste diplomat was apprehended, cowering in fear. Amidst the rubble of their once towering communications center. Sparks flew as Teletrix beat him into unconsciousness, throwing him onboard the nearest transport.
The world was dark and blurry. He was not on the planet anymore, rather, on one of the Necron’s ships. He’d been knocked unconscious for the journey, and was laying on the cold floor. Next to his head were a set of feet.
He risked a glance upwards, and saw the Overlord he had betrayed, standing, arms crossed, with all the patience in the world for him to awake. He shuddered in fear.
“I told you I would find you fool. Your trap was ineffective, and we will salvage all we need for our repairs from the bones of your wrecked fleet. Your sacrifice was in vain. And the engram will be mine you child. Any last words?”
“The Tau, cannot be denied, we WILL defeat you.”
“Certainly not in this lifetime you coward.” Replied the Machine
The 10-foot tall overlord hoisted the diplomat into the air with one arm, and carried him over to a pit nearby. He struggled as much as he could, however, it was no use as the Overlord threw him into it. He landed with a hard thud on the ground amidst a slaughterhouse of bones. He sought to right himself and look for a way to escape as he smelled the odor of rotting flesh. He then saw the shadows of Necrons enter the pit with him, covered in gore, their hands ending in razor sharp flensing blades.
He screamed for five minutes as the flayed ones tore him apart, rending and futilely eating his flesh before he finally died, the sound echoing down the halls.
Xerxius would have laughed. A fitting end.
“Teletrix." He grated, having had his fun. Staring down upon this doomed world in flames. "Get me my prize, we’ve lingered too long here.”
“At once my lord.”
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