Implacable Defence
Overlord Talacaxis led the 1st Defence Squadron on the planet Zalacastria, desperate to protect the Vault of Penberrin, said to contain Eldar artefacts of unspeakable power that could manipulate the webway causing it to implode on users or redirect travellers to the inter galactic void.
He deployed immortals with gauss blasters in the fortress above the vault led by a cryptek with an Eldritch staff; also in the fortress, three wraiths with whip coils and seven Triarch praetorians armed with particle casters and void blades. These last manned the fortress’s primitive cannon, left by previous inhabitants.
To the west a second squad of immortals, these equipped with tesla carbines occupied a defence line led by a second cryptek toting a voltaic staff and able to generate a lightning field. Between the line and the fortress: Four wraiths, three with whip coils and one with a particle caster.
To the south, on the left of the line, the annihilation barge NNV Majestic Conqueror, on the right its sister ship the NNV Vengeance Taker. Also on the right behind the fortress, the barge NNV Orchestrator lay in reserve. On our left flank, three heavy destroyers, on the right in ruins, three more. Behind the fortress in a line, five normal destroyers.
Force strength was 1930, but in reserve were another 1070. These were the Doom Scythe NNV Overwhelming Force, the Night Scythes NNV Cold Fury and NNV Sun Killer each containing a full squad of Deathmarks. Talacaxis led one and Lord Vybor the other, each had a cryptek armed with an abyssal staff in company.
The Dark Eldar raiding force was a unit of scourge which descended on the left, two raiders on each flank, each crewed by Kabalite warriors, a venom bearing the HQ centre right. On the right their sinister jetbikes were ready to attack. Mandrakes infiltrated against our left. After early cautious edging forward a ravager deep struck behind the fortress and a Razorwing flew in against our left.
The interceptor battery on the fortress fired on the ravager but it jinked the shot easily. The early exchange of fire left one jet bike destroyed, the right hand raider also evaded fire but two praetorians were early casualties for us as the Razorwing damaged the fortress trying to take out the weapon battery, a mission it would avhieve.
The Ravager destroyed one of the destroyers on the eastern side of the fortress and then the northernmost raider and its crew destroyed our southern heavy destroyers that had moved up centrally. Our reserves now contributed absolutely nothing by failing to arrive. The wraiths from our centre moved south west to engage the enemy as the dark ones continued to advance, hugging cover whenever possible.
Another Ravager arrived by deep strike to the east and a succubus accompanied by a squad of wychs arrived from a web portal that appeared to the north by the ruin containing our remaining heavy destroyers. The Barges jinking evaded several lance attacks and the jet bikes assaulted the heavy destroyers resulting in a deadlocked assault.
Our wraiths attacking the enemy left were destroyed by withering fire from the raider and its crew with the mandrakes firing too. The Majestic Conquest now avenged the wraiths blowing up the raider from which tumbled six survivors.
Meanwhile our reserves now arrived, the Overwhelming Force shooting down the enemy razorwing which had knocked out the fortress weapon systems, and the Sun Killer dropping its deathmarks close to the enemy wychs. Unfortunately the Razorwing crashed onto our immortals defence line killing the cryptek and several troops, but some including the cryptek regenerated.
Both ravagers were wrecked by and the wychs took heavy losses from our deathmarks and fire from the Sun Killer. The Cold Fury and immortals and barges fired at the northern raider but incredibly it survived and was out of range of our wraiths’ assault. The heavy destroyers continued their deadlock with the bikes.
Now a Tantalus appeared in the south east quadrant, but its deep strike took it into difficult terrain and it grounded, immobile. The scourge, venom and surviving raider advanced steadily. The mandrakes attempted assault on the defence line but took 80% casualties from our overwatch and were unable to press their assault home.
The wychs now joined the assault on the right and our heavy destroyers fell at last. A second Razorwing that had appeared was shot down by our fliers and the Cold Fury dropped its passengers close to the enemy venom which was destroyed by the Vengeance Taker. The enemy HQ disembarked and took cover, deathmarked by our HQ unit.
Two of the archon’s court, a lhamaean and Medusae fell to our snipers, meanwhile the immortals in the defence line caused the kabalite warriors to break under their accurate fire. The scourge also broke under attack from the Overwhelming Force. The Orchestrator destroyed two more bikes and the wychs were destroyed by the Sun Killer’s squad, leaving just the wounded succubus.
The wraiths now assaulted and destroyed the northern raider though nine of its passengers survived the explosion. The destroyers having critically damaged the Tantalus, now failed to assault it.
Yet another Razorwing now appeared together with replacement wychs, but they were distant to the west. Both fleeing enemy units rallied and the Razorwing and HQ fired on our HQ felling several deathmarks. The last mandrake fell to our immortals’ overwatch as did the last jet bikes assaulting the deathmarks to the east. The succubus made it to the deathmarks aided by the reapers’ sacrifice only to fall without causing any losses.
Our destroyers were now highly depleted by fire from the Tantalus and the only survivor fell to assault by the incubi. Our Praetorians at last moved into action, moving towards the incubi and the Vengeance Taker also fell back east to reinforce the Orchestrator. Meanwhile to the west, only the archon made it through the overwatch of our deathmarks, the Ur-Ghul and Sslyth falling.
The Archon accepted a challenge from our overlord, only to immediately succumb to mindshackle scarab attack and the assault continued. The scourge meanwhile survived attack by the Cold Fury whilst the Sun Killer failed to engage the Razorwing. The Overwhelming Force caught the reinforcement wychs with its death ray and wiped them out entirely. The kabalite warriors on the left were finished by our immortals and the Majestic Conqueror.
The archon now killed himself under the continuing influence of mindshackle scarabs whilst the Wraiths, supported by fire from the immortals still in the fortress destroyed the northern kabalite warriors losing only one of their number. The praetorians meanwhile failed their attempt to assault the incubi.
Two more raiders bearing kabalite warriors now appeared by deep strike east and west of the fortress. The Razorwing, eastern Raider and Tantalus destroyed our eastern deathmarks and the praetorians took heavy losses to the incubi. More deathmarks fell to the western raider before it was destroyed by our fliers. To the south the Majestic Conqueror finally destroyed the wounded Tantalus and the wraiths joined the assault against the incubi reducing them to three.
Our barges failed to destroy the eastern raider and the Dark Eldar broke off having failed to break through to their objective. They had only the Raider, Razorwing and its warrior passengers, three incubi and two scourge remaining, an estimated 360 of around 2750 deployed. They had lost seventeen complete units, 85% plus casualties and left empty handed.
Our losses were the Lord, one cryptek, three immortals, five praetorians, 15 deathmarks, five wraiths and all three destroyer squads, five complete units, a total of 1426 or about 48%. One surviving wraith and the Overlord were wounded; the Majestic Conqueror, Overwhelming Force and Sun Killer had all lost a single hull point.
25.10.14
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