Psychic Shenanigans
Overlord Letralaba was conducting experiments with a new anti psyker apparatus on Peblius Major where remnants of a Hive fleet provided him with subjects to experiment on. However, the Tyranid infestation proved unexpectedly robust and after two weeks he was forced to begin an evacuation. The Imperium meanwhile having picked up on hints of what was occurring sent in a company of Blood Angels with the mission of recovering the device. The Tyranids, many of their psykers driven half mad by the tests of the machine, were intent on its destruction.
The overlord had his escort of ten Lychguard with Hyperphase swords and Dispersion Shields, ten Praetorians with Particle Casters and Void Blades, two canoptek Harvest formations, both including Tomb Spyders with Gloom Prisms and Particle beamers, four scarabs and five wraiths, one squad with whip coils and one with particle casters.
He also had four sentry pylons, two with Gauss Exterminators, one with a Heat Cannon and one with a death ray. Making up his Decurion with the lychguard and canoptek formations, 23 warriors in two squads and a full squad of immortals with gauss blasters, plus nine tomb blades with gauss blasters, Nebuloscopes and shield vanes. Outside the Decurion he also had a third Tomb Spyder and six destroyers including one heavy.
Total force strength was 2992, the overlord was in the centre of the improvised defensive salient around the machine, the western perimeter where the Blood Angels appeared from was held by, from north to south , the first canoptek Harvest formation, the immortals and Heat cannon, the destroyers, Praetorians and a Gauss sentry pylon.
The east was held north to south by a twelve strong unit of warriors, the second Gauss sentry pylon, the other wraiths formation, these the ones with particle casters, the death pylon and other eleven warriors. The Tomb blades were to the south of the position as was the third lone spyder which lurked in ruins just south of the machine.
The Blood Angels, approaching from the North West comprised four units of assault marines with priests together with a squad of sanguinary guard. The Tyranid threat opened in the form of a pair of Flying Hive Tyrants, drawn by the warp distortions generated by the machine, and a single Mucolid spore. The Angels advanced at speed as did the Hive Tyrants which opened with psychic attacks disabling the northern sentry pylon, then destroying it with their shooting.
The heavy destroyer took out a sanguinary guard as they moved northward together with the lychguard, whilst the western wraiths and scarabs advanced to meet the threat. The wraiths then assaulted the sanguinary guard. To the east the southernmost Hive Tyrant was grounded after being wounded by the southern pylon and then assaulted by the eastern wraiths. Both spyders were off to a flying start suffering birthing wounds.
The Tyranids then brought up reserves, a Mawlock attempting to deep strike unsuccessfully but inflicting losses on our warriors and tomb blades as it did so. A death leaper and Lictor deep struck right by the machine avoiding interceptor fire. Genestealers appeared to the north. The machine meanwhile had suppressed the psychic powers of the southernmost tyrant, but the tomb blades were hit by the other affecting their combat efficiency disastrously. Despite this they destroyed a lector in the south west ruin.
Marines assaulted the northern spyder whilst the sanguinary guard continued to fight the wraiths. Other marines failed to assault the immortals whilst the eastern wraiths eliminated the grounded Hive Tyrant. The two lictors failed to damage the machine and the praetorians easily destroyed the Death leaper. Whilst the southern warriors killed the lector, the scarabs meanwhile attacked the gene stealers taking heavy losses.
Now more reserves arrived though, two Mawlocks attempting deep strikes, again unsuccessfully to the south, but heavily depleting our praetorians that now ringed the machine. Four more Lictors arrived, all to the south, one destroyed by interceptor fire. Two more units of gene stealers arrived, one to the north and one to the south.
Our tomb blades also suffered from the mawlock strikes and the southern sentry pylon was now destroyed by the remaining Hive Tyrant’s vector strike. After being heavily targeted and reduced to two, the tomb blades broke and fled. The Lictors took wounds from our southern units and the advancing marines took losses to the destroyers and immortals. The southern tomb spyder was destroyed and the psychic machine negated psychic activity temporarily.
Our southern warriors failed to assault the gene stealers and our lychguard destroyed a lictor in assault our overlord declining a challenge on this occasion. Our immortals were holding well to the north and our scarabs were holding up the northern gene stealers. Enemy marines destroyed the heat cannon though. Our northern warriors failed to engage the newly arrived stealers and were assaulted and suffered losses. Meanwhile a stray Mucalid spore was taken out by our destroyers.
More failed deep strikes by the mawlocks and this time our lychguard were heavily damaged by the multiple attempts as all final reserves arrived. The death ray was also destroyed and our last two praetorians fell. Marines assaulted our overlord and two remaining lychguard and were destroyed, the enemy sergeant falling in challenge.
Our northern warriors now were routed by the gene stealers whilst our spyder had assaulted an enemy marine squad reducing it to just one. The sanguinary guard had failed a charge and destroyers had finished off another unit of marines. The machine which had now taken some damage from the Tyranids malfunctioned, sending out a wave of destructive energy causing losses to several nearby units of both sides.
Our eastern wraiths falling back to the machine joined the warriors, lychguard and overlord and destroyers in a final attack on the gene stealers and pair of lictors which had disabled half of the machines major component elements.
The overlord destroyed one lictor, the destroyers the gene stealers and the wraiths assaulted and destroyed the last threat to the machine though another lictor remained to the south west close to the Flying Hive tyrant. The action broke off, the Tyranids had destroyed three parts of the machine, the Necrons had saved three for a tie. The Blood Angels had failed to score with their best chance a failed slay the warlord for their sergeant.
The Tyranids still had one mucalid spore, one Flying Hive tyrant, one Lictor and two slightly depleted squads of gene stealers. Their mawlocks both remained active in ongoing reserve. The marines had lost two units of marines and had two others heavily depleted still in combat with our last spyder and the immortals. The sanguinary guard had also taken at least one casualty.
Our rallied strength was four wraiths, the wounded spyder, two scarabs, all from the eastern formation, 2 lychguard and the overlord, nine warriors (the southern group) seven immortals, five destroyers, (one wounded) and the heavy destroyer. A rallied strength of 916, a loss rate of almost 70% including eleven complete squads. Marine losses though they only lost two units of six deployed were estimated at 70% including several characters, Tyranid losses amounted to perhaps 60% with many single units lost, possibly nine or ten, mainly lictors but with seven remaining including one lictor, one Flying Hive Tyrant and two squads of gene stealers.
23.5.15
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