Tau Allies Fail Us
On Malio in the system of Cygna Epini the Tau enlisted Necron support against Imperial troops stripping the remains of a crashed Tau transport said to be carrying either a secret Tau defence system (according to the Tau) or stolen Imperial designs (according to the humans).
Space wolves arrived to seize the objective for the Imperium of man, they brought a landraider in their centre with two rhinos on their right. All these were crammed with troops and two mighty warlords including Logan led the marines. A heavy support squad with a quad gun and aegis defence line stayed back and wolf cavalry held their left.
Facing them, our warlord Vidnaryk led eleven warriors with a cryptek on our left. Then two more squads of ten warriors, with a Lord leading the one in the centre and another cryptek leading the unit between the two. Behind, the Annihilation Barges NNV Bloody Vengeance, NNV Regal and NNV Skirmisher. Our strength was 993.
On the right, Tau crisis suits and broadsides plus a piranha, in the centre, an Aethereal and two squads of fire warriors. Also in the centre, a huge riptide. Pathfinders infiltrated on the left in the enemy deployment zone. The Tau force was similar in size to ours, but the Wolves matched our combined strength.
The wolves moved first, advancing their centre and left and a drop pod landed infront of our lines disgorging a rune priest and troops. Using their despicable psychic powers the rune priest destroyed the riptide and our Lord into the bargain. Other fire damaged the Skirmisher and nearly wiped out our central squad.
Our massed return fire wiped out the drop pod unit and the priest, out cryptek’s voltaic staff dealing with the drop pod. A number of wolves also fell to Tau fire but nearly every unit’s fire had been taken up dealing with the single forward enemy unit. The Piranha attacked the landraider but only immobilised it and Logan and his terminators poured out to threaten our centre.
The Piranha and the Skirmisher were both wrecked and the Regal exploded under heavy fire. On the left Vidnaryk’s unit was moving slowly hampered by another psychic attack, our second warrior squad took the high ground in the centre of the field and damaged an enemy rhino.
Logan’s terminators were being whittled away by heavy Tau and gauss fire but their armour was resisting strongly and although reduced to just their warlord the cavalry attack against our right was clearing away crisis suits. Logan assaulted and destroyed our four remaining central warriors with ease, but the Landraider and Rhino in the centre were destroyed.
The enemy had recovered the item in the centre and fallen back with it, the squad that originally picked it up had been reduced to just one who had fled but rallied. Now our left hand warriors trailing the Bloody Vengeance at last engaged the enemy right as did the pathfinders. Crisis suits advancing against the enemy left in a pincer movement meant we were closing on the stolen relic.
Both Logan, also alone after losing his terminator guard at last, and the wolf lord were in our deployment zone having wiped out the Tau forces there including their leader and both squads of fire warriors. Our attack now wiped out the warriors bearing the relic, the last survivor fleeing. The relic was destroyed in the attack and both sides broke off frustrated: Both had achieved linebreaker, the riptide gave the enemy first blood and the Aethereal was worth two points, so 4 -1 to the Imperial dogs.
The wolves had lost almost all their heavy support unit and two units of troops plus their terminators. They had lost the landraider and rhino with the other badly damaged, and all their wolves. Both warlords had serious wounds. The damaged rhino’s passenger squad was fully intact however, estimated enemy losses: 75%.
The Tau had two heavy support battle suits and their pathfinders left, perhaps 15% of their strength, we had the Bloody Vengeance, albeit slightly damaged, plus our Overlord, two squads of warriors almost intact, amounting to 20 of 31 deployed, along with their two crypteks, having lost out lord and one warrior squad plus the other two barges. Total rallied strength 605, over 60% of deployed strength.
10.5.14
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