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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Surprise Attack at Kau'Varra -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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The Colonel sighed, staring at the sensor screen on board his Command Chimera. His Mordian Iron Guard were assigned to investigate transmit the stored sensor logs of an abandoned Tau outpost, Kau'varra. The Inquisition had commanded them and they obeyed, despite not knowing what the logs contained. Colonel P.H. Atee rubbed his eyes, glancing at his roster of troops under his command, unsure of why such an escort was necessary when a tech priest and a couple of servitors could have done the job.
---------------Force Roster--------------
Colonel P. H. Atee of Mordian. Boltgun, 2 Veterans, Autocannon Veteran Team.
Command Chimera with Multilaser and Heavy Bolter.
Imperial Commando Specialist, codenamed 'Marbo'
43rd Mordian. Infantry Platoon 85.
Lieutenant J. Bryar of Mordian. Bolt Pistol, 2 Guardsmen with Melta Guns, 2 Guardsmen with Flamers.
Chimera with Multilaser and Heavy Flamer.
Infantry Squad Alpha. Autocannon, Grenade Launcher.
Infantry Squad Beta. Autocannon, Grenade Launcher.
Infantry Squad Gamma. Mortar, Grenade Launcher.
Mordian 43rd Veteran Sunfuries. 3 Plasma Guns
Chimera with Multilaser and Heavy Flamer.
Mordian 43rd Veteran Tankhunters. 3 Melta Guns
43rd Mordian Air Squadron
Vulture Gunship: Heavy Bolter, twin autocannon, 6 hunter killer missiles.
Vendetta Gunship: 3 twin lascannons, 2 heavy bolters.
Valkyrie Air Carrier: Multiple Rocket pods, Multi-laser. Transporting The Tankhunters.
43rd Mordian Support Detachment
Manticore Launcher: 4 Stormeagle Rockets, Heavy Flamer
Leman Russ: Lascannon, Battle Cannon.
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Persistant beeping interrupted the Colonels thoughts. Contacts on the auspex. Space Marines....? Dark Angels. He attempts to gain a focus on their numbers, though the full information was unclear.
------------ Dark Angels Forces ------------
Interrogator Chaplain
5 Dark Angels, plasma pistol, powerfist.
Razorback - twin heavy bolters
Dark Angels Tactical Squad with flamer and missile launcher. Combat Squadded.
Dark Angels Tactical Squad with flamer, melta gun, bolter, plasma pistol
Rhino
Ravenwing Attack bike with Multi Melta
Ravenwing Bike squad with melta gun
Ravenwing Landspeeder with assault cannon, heavy bolter
Dreadnought with Assault Cannon
Dreadnought with Multi Melta
Vindicator Battle Tank
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Unsure whether to greet or challenge these enigmatic Space Marines, their questions are answered by the hail of bolter shells and the roaring of close range flame throwers.
Over 20 loyal Mordian Iron Guard died within the first minute of the treasonous fire, though worse was yet to come. A Leman Russ battle tank, the Guards one great hope against the vaunted power armour erupts in a great ball of fire. What follows is panic when a horrible squeal is heard over the comnets as Colonel Atee's transport goes down, under heavy fire from a combined assault by the dreaded Ravenwing. With the Colonel and his squad pinned in the wreckage, it's up to the Iron Guards' training to determine survival long enough for their revenge of what they took to be fellow servants of the Emperor.
They don't disappoint. Quickly, the soldiers rush to their vehicles and transports, engines of the Chimeras turn over, ready for sudden war. A high pitched whine is heard as the feared 43rd Air Squadron takes to the skies, a battleline of Infantry Fighting Vehicles soon emerges.
With cries of devotion to The Emperor, Veteran Mordian 43rd Tankhunters leap out of their Valkyrie Carrier, clad in scavenged armour from a routed Cadian platoon. They make their impact known, immediately turning the walking tomb that is a Dark Angels dreadnought into a very real one. Catching up with them, Lieutenant Bryars own Command Squad cuts into the feared Vindicators Siege Tank's hull with their own weaponry. No immediate impact is noticed by the dismayed soldiers, though to their unknowing relief and good fortune, the breach for the horrifying Demolisher Cannon is fused shut, along with the bisected remains of the vehicles main gunner.
A scream of jets, a thunderous roar, then the blast of detonations and a whine of lasfire as The Valkyrie Carrier and its fellow Vendetta Gunship begin their strafing runs on the positions of the Dark Angels tactical squads. The Valkyries light infantry munitions were never likely to be truly effective against Power Armour, though they did their job as 3 Space Marines collapse, their servos wrecked and their guns useless, no longer able to take part in the battle. Following behind it, the Vendettas reputation is well earned, sending 3 more marines to their graves, torn apart by the fury of its Lascannons and heavy bolters.
The crackling of a thousand sub-munitions is heard when the Manticore launches its rocket high into the air, the bunker busting miniature rockets falling to earth leaving nothing damaged at all, except a small fern and some paintwork on a Tau pillar. The embattled Colonel and his command staff remain, inside the wreckage of his command chimera while the Ravenwing, bikes deathly silent, circle the vehicle like their namesakes stalking wounded prey, their bolters so deadly accurate that it's all but impossible for them to begin to return fire. Hope appears however, in the belching, form of a Chimera as it bursts through the remains of a ruined settlement, unleashing the heat of 3 miniature suns from the second squad of Mordian Veterans with the aide of targeted missiles from the Vulture Gunship destroy all but one of the Ravenwing bikers where they ride. The Colonel is saved! For now.....
A Ravenwing Attack Bike catching the Vulture as it returns for its second pass, the multimelta dropping it down in a hail of screeching metal and a bloom of fire burning in the distance. Sporadic fire erupts from the rest of the Dark Angels lines at the landing pad where the last infantry squad dwells, leaving only one survivor, an either brave, or foolhardy Grenade Launcher wielding Guardsman. Then, without even a warcry, and only the impassive grimness of the Dark Angels faces, the two survivors of a Sergeants Tactical Combat squad advance upon the Veterans responsible for the heretical act of destroying one of the chapters precious dreadnaughts. A belch of flame and fully 7 Veterans fall in a screaming, crying mass. A charge follows, another veteran falls. Against their horrid might, the last two survivors withdraw. As they retreat, there's a shout, a tearful shout. "The rumours were right, you're traitors! Traitors all of you! We were loyal!" The Sergeants ally, the flamer wielding marine, responsible for so much death glares towards the fleeing Guardsmen. "Filth." It was his last words, as the parting shot from the routers kills him when he stands. Left alone, with no allies and doubt filling his mind, the Sergeant withdraws.... "The rumours were right....." Circle his mind, as he realises that the ranks Deathwing will forever be closed to him now as a result of his retreat. Part of him is relieved.
With a gesture, Atee orders his men to begin firing at the last Ravenwing biker that has cause him so much distress, to no effect as the rider magnificently dodges every shot, circling round the commander again. Fortunately, so far, his meltagun has proven ineffectual against the Veterans Chimera, who, angered at so much destruction caused by the Attack bike train all their weapons upon him. Vengeance is swiftly gained for the two pilots. LT Bryars Command Squad train their weapons upon the damaged vindicator, this time taking out its tracks. Armed only with a stormbolter and unable to move, it is now less of a threat. The Vendetta circles the field, covering the retreating Valkyrie, another the near explosion of a Krak missile having blinded its compatriots sensors momentarily. The lascannons see its target, another one of those Dreadnoughts. Another pile of slag as the weapons find their mark once more, making up for the Manticore's deficiencies as its rockets fail to hit remotely near the enemy for the second time.
Colontel Atee glances at his timepiece, all of 4 minutes had past. His troopers were bloodied, the Infantry was lost yet most of the tanks remained.
He is brought out of his reverie by the screech of a Ravenwing Landspeeder, massive amounts of shells pouring out of it. His squad dies around him in agony, a hail of heavy bolter shells pierce his body, his arm hangs lose at his side badly wounded. Then the assault cannon opens fire, the Colonel stares into its rotating barrel, aware that any final shots shall mean instant death for him. The ground is mashed into pulp in front of him, he stands there frozen, a final hymn to The Emperor on his lips. The fire travels upwards, ready to cut his body down the middle. Light covers his eyes and.... Then fades. Praise be to The Emperor! Life, survival as his refractor field hums dimly around him.
Through the wreckage of his Chimera, he sees the Space Marines disembark, melta and plasma weaponry coming to bear upon his Sunfuries Transports. Seeing their danger, the driver lunges at the steering column swerving it out of the way of the fire, saving his crew from certain death. Not to be dismayed however, the dark Angels continue their advance. Elsewhere, the final surviving Mordian Infantry, Specialist Trooper Smyth is torn apart by the Razorbacks heavy bolter. Atee himself, is now the only surviving Guard infantryman standing on the field and fully aware that he could not survive another shot.
The landspeeder darts around the nearby ruins, its crew lining up a kill shot. The Ravenwing gunner tenses on the trigger before widely spraying into the air as the speeder corkscrews into a fireball, impacting on a nearby Tau ruin. The Colonel sees his saviour roaring through the flame - The bulky form of Lieutenant Bryars Chimera Transport spitting multi-laser death into the Landspeeders wreckage while Bryar directs his squads fire to finally bring down the all but useless vindicator.
The Sunfury Veteran Squad, irate at the treasonous Dark Angels fire call for support in defeating the robed Marines. Their wish is granted when multiple detonations from the Valkyrie Carrier joins their plasma fire and the Chimeras heavy flamer, mixed with the ineffectual demolition charge of their Specialist Commando. When the smoke clears, 7 Dark Angel bodies lie on the field, yet 3 remain, standing defiant.
A heartbeat passes, the survivors advancing upon the roaring transport, melta and plasma pistol fire again, failing to do any damage. Perhaps even the vaunted Dark Angels have qualms about attacking loyal soldiers of The Emperor, or perhaps He guards over his soldiers as even their grenades fail to make an impact on the tank.
The Emperors Protection does not hold to the Commando however, the staccato fire of the Chaplains own Command Squad driving him back into the shelter of the hidden tunnels from where he sprung his ambush. It's impossible for him to take any further part in this engagement. A missile scythes across the battlefield, impacting the turret of the Manticore, prematurely detonating its two remaining rockets. Though the tank itself survives, its lost its main armament, making the vehicle more useless than it has been already.
The Missile Launcher Squad's victory is short lived, however when the Vendetta Gunship draws its attention back to them, cutting them down and silencing the last Marine heavy weapon. The 3 tactical marines and their Rhino facing the Chimera don't fare any better, being the target of the full remaining firepower of the Imperial Guard survivors as Colonel Atee limps away to safety, crouching down to address his wounds behind a Tau ruin.
The Chaplain gauges the scene, then glances at his 5 battle brothers. Reluctantly, he signals his squad to return to their Razorback. The Imperial Guard had recovered from the surprise attack and even now the Valkyrie, Vendetta and 2 Chimeras were roving forward in an attempt to hunt him down. With so few battle brothers left, it was no longer possible to retrieve the hidden data about the location of a Fallen at source. The Inquisitor perhaps, perhaps he can be... encouraged to reveal the location."
"Let the Guard have this victory.... for the moment," the Chaplain contemplates, then opens a channel to the strike cruiser above. "Commence orbital cleansing of the site. They cannot know of our actions."
Colonel Atee fades in and out of consciousness, medics fussing over his body on a makeshift mattress on board the Valkyrie as it flies away, under the Vendettas escort towards the command post. He's got to tell someone, he's got to tell the truth of the Dark Angels betrayal. Behind him, he leaves the wounded of the 83rd to guard the proof of what has occurred while the Sunfuries and LT Bryar's Command rove the wastes trying to catch. He glances out of the transparisteel slit, viewing the Kau'varra settlement, 3 stars fall from the sky silently upon it.... He blacks out.
Upon his timepiece, the seconds tick by, all of 10 minutes have passed since the engagement begun.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 Months Later ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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The Captain looked round at the confines of his Chimaera. Things had gone from bad to worse in the last few months. After the supposed 'disaster' at Kau'varra he was in disgrace. The Mordian Iron Guard had little patience for what they saw as fools and incompetants. The Official Report of the "Kau'varra Incident" had concluded that his company had foolishly and irresponsibly activated a Tau Self Destruct mechanism which had claimed the lives of all those men. "And where was that damnable Inquisitor to back him up?" Atee fumed in his darkest moments. There wasn't a word of defense at his and Bryar's preliminary Court Martial. Nothing, thrown to the wolves. He had been demoted, lost his prized Colonelship, Bryar had even been thrown out of the officer ranks, back to a NCO 'where he belonged' according to one Commissar. There was even a date set for a Summary Execution for them both for charges verging on heresy against the Emperor's First Astartes Legion.
Then, on the morning of execution, Atee had made his peace with The Emperor knowing that he had told the truth and done his duty. He marched to the Firing Line, Bryar beside him, a prayer on his lips. He stood, saw the Lasrifles raise then a flash of light. It was not the End.
From the Blinding Light, a voice spoke. "On the Authority of The Emperor Of Mankind, I hereby invoke the Rite of Conscription upon these men. Something emerged from the Light, a red seal, embossed with a stylised -=][=-
The symbol of The Inquisition.
