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++++++++ incoming transmission +++++++++++
verifying originator....
ODM
313.995.M41
uplink established.....
Librarian Septimus
examined the data slate in his gauntleted hand. The Inquisition had responded to the earlier battlefield debacle by sending
a sizable Grey Knight contingent against them. Septimus glanced over at Chaplain Dominikus and frowned. The Chaplain
was leading the entire Deathwing force through the litanies of Hatred, preparing them for the battle ahead, but Septimus
knew the Chaplain was a changed man. Just hours before the Chaplain had led a similar Deathwing force against a Guard
Formation that refused to turn over one of the cursed Fallen. The strike force had failed badly, with only Dominikus and his
Assault Squad survivng. Chaplain Dominikus would never wash himself of the failure except in the cleansing fires
of battle.
Septimus had absorbed
the survivors into his command and set about to destroy the Guard Unit while it was still planetside, capturing the Fallen
before any more damage was done. However, before battle could be joined, the Inquisition made its presence known in the form
of the Grey Knights. Complication upon complications. Did they know what was at stake here? Was the Guard Commander already
in touch with the Unholy Inquisition?
Septimus understood dialogue would get them nowhere with this particular foe. Because of the very nature of
the enemies they were bred to fight, their minds were as closed to thought and reason as an Orks'. Once the Grey Knights
had been committed, only violence would solve the issue. Very
well, though Septimus, they will have their violence, and Dominikus will have his chance for redemption.
"Assault Pattern Delta," he voxed to
the assembled force. Deathwing Terminators spread out behind the forrest and ruined town. The Land Raider Crusader's
engines growled to life with a throaty roar. "These lapdogs of the Inquisition seek to destroy the Chapter and dishonor
the Primarch and the Emperor himself. Kill them, kill them all. Open Fire!!!"
Setup
The Grey Knights set up first,
anchoring their base of fire around a low hill at the top left of the board. Two Las-Cannon/Power Weapon Dreads took up firing
positions, one behind the line, and one anchoring the far left. Three squads of Psy-Cannon armed Grey Knights skirted the
front of the hill. Waiting to deep strike were a 5 man Terminator Command Squad and Hero, and two 5 man Incinerator armed
squads. An Orbital Bombardment was targeted on the river feature bisecting the field.
The Deathwing set up across the bottom
of the board, the Grey Knight deployment allowing a relatively tight/focused deployment. A CML/AC squad formed the right end
of the line, mostly obscured by a house and forests. Next across was an AC/HF/PF Dread, also obsucred from the Grey Knight
Dreads by forest. The main force on the left flank consisted of the LRC loaded with a 6 man assault squad and attached Chaplain,
behind a house, with an ML/TLC Dread behind it. Two 5 man Terminator Squads formed the far left flank. Two AC in the front
squad, 2 CML and attached Librarian in the back squad.
Turn 1 – Movement
to Contact
Deathwing Move
The Deathwing advanced on
all fronts. The LRC roared diagonally forward its full movement into no man's land and popped smoke.
Deathwing Shooting
The right flank Deathwing
squad opened up on the Grey Knights facing them, and in a flurry of fire from the AC/CML, and storm bolters killed two
Grey Knights. The AC Drednaught opened up with its AC and killed another two from the hilltop squad. On the left
flank the ML/TLC Dreadnaught tried to fire on the Grey Knight Dreadnaught, but the Shrouding confused its systems. The front
rank Deathwing squad opened up with everything and killed one more Grey Knight, this time from the squad facing
them. Krak missiles from the CML Deathwing squad bounced off the Grey Knight Dreadnaught's armored hull.
Grey Knight Move
The entire formation except
the left most Dreadnaught start to shift right.
Grey Knight Shooting
Storm Bolter and Psy-Cannon
shots hit the front rank on the Deathwing Squads on either end of the formation, but the ancient armor deflects them all.
The Dreadnaught on the hill top misses its LC shot at the central DW Dreadnaught. The left flank Dreadnaught hits the Deathwing
ML/TLC Dreadnaught squarely, but due to its Venerable nature only the LC is destroyed, rather than the whole machine.
Turn 2 – Furious
Assault Unleashed
Deathwing Move
The LRC, rotated on its axis
and barrelled forward another full move straight into the stream. The Chaplain and his Assault Squad charged down the
ramp to face the enemy. All other elements of the force moved up.
Deathwing Shooting
The right flank Deathwing
Squadopened fire with CML, AC, and Storm Bolters again on the facing Grey Knights, killing three, and the AC Dreadnaught
added its own fire power to the onslaught and killed 2 more. The ML Dreadnaught immobilized the left flank Grey Knight Dreadnaught,
while the CML squad destroyed its LC, effectively removing it from the battle. The Left flank Deathwing AC Squad poured fire
into the Grey Knights about to be charged, killing two more.
Deathwing Close Assault
The Chaplain-led assault squad Furious
Charged into the six remaining Grey Knights and under the screaming Litanies from the Chaplain, slaughtered them all
in an LC frenzy before they even had a chance to respond. The Squad then consolidated up the hill into the rear Grey Knight
squad.
Grey Knight Move
The Orbital Bombardment comenced,
missing the LRC but killing one Deathwing Terminator from the AC Squad. The three remaining Grey Knights in the right flank
squad ran back to aid their comrades in combat with the Deathwing LC Squad. The remaining Dreadnaught moved further to
the right, down the hill, to get an unobscured shot at the approaching Deathwing AC Dreadnaught.
Grey Knight Shooting
The Dreadnaught fired its
LC and stunned the Deathwing Dreadnaught.
Grey Knight Close
Combat
Eight Grey Knights fell to
the Deathwing, while one of the Deathwing died under a Justicar's Nemisis Waepon.
Turn 3 – Repositioning
for the Deep Strike
Deathwing Move
The right flank squad moves
across the stream. The ML Dreadnaught, CML Squad, and AC Squad all spread along the stream's edge to get better firing solutions
for any reinforcemnts that show up. The LRC stays in place.
Deathwing Shooting
The right flank Deathwing
Squad stuns the remaining Grey Knight dreadnaught twice with a combination of AC and CML. The LRC open up on it too, and destroys
the LC arm.
Deathwing Close
Combat
The last three Grey Knights
fall, killing one more Deathing LC Terminator. Inexplicably the squad then consolidates into the Grey Knight Dreadnaught.
Grey Knight Move
The Orbital Bombardment scatters
out of range of any targets. Two five man Incinerator Squads Teleport onto the battlefield.
Grey Knight Shooting
Both Squads fire everything
into the closest Deathwing Squad, killing one Terminator only as their armor turns everything else away.
Grey Knight Close
Combat
The Dreadnaught kills Chaplain
Dominikus while the Terminators find the only chance they have is the Thunder Hammer of their Sergeant, which hits, but does
no damage.
Turn 4 – Firing
Squad - part 1
Deathwing Move
The right flank squad moves
back across the stream to position themselves out of charge range. The AC Dreadnaught shakes of the effects of the stunning
and advances into the stream. The rest of the force continues to allign itself for better firing, while the LRC rotates to
face the newly arrived threat.
Deathwing Shooting
The LRC fires all of its
weaponry into the rear Grey Knight Squad, killing them all. The AC Dreadnaught and the right flank squad combine their Storm
Bolters, CML and two ACs to kill the front squad also.
Deathwing Close Combat
The last two LC Terminators
are killed by the Dreadnaught, while the Thunder Hammer Sergeant continues to beat on it with his hammer, but not destroy
it.
Grey Knight Turn
After Orbital Bombardment
deviates again, the Command Squad fails to materialize. The Dreadnaught cannot kill the Deathwing Sergeant, but neither can
it be killed.
Turn 5 –
Late to the Party
Deathwing Moves
The Squads move out of the
stream and wait. The LRC moves forward then spins around. All hope that the Greay Knight Command Squad will be obliging and
come down in the kill zone.
Deathwing Close Combat
The Sergeant continues to
trade blows with the Dreadnaught, neither landing the killing blow.
Grey Knight Moves
The orbital bombardment misses
again. The Command Squad arrives, and does decide that the kill zone will be the best place to exact their revenge.
Grey Knight Shooting
The Psy-Cannon and storm
bolters Kill two Terminators from the AC Squad.
Turn 6 –
Firing Squad - Part 2
Deathwing Shooting
The LRC open up with all
its weapons, killing 2 Grey Knight Terminators with rend Assault Cannon fire. The right flank squad kills another with a well
placed Cyclone shot.
Deathwing Close
Combat
The Deathwing Sergeant finally
falls in close combat, after stunning the Dreadnaught yet again.
Grey Knight Moving
and Shooting
The remaining two members
of the Command Squad and the Grey Knight Hero charge the Deathwing AC Terminator, their shots glancing off its metallic hide.
Grey Knight Close
Combat
The Grey Knights fail to
damage the Dreadnaught, despite thei prodigous strength. In turn the Dreadnaught kills the last Command Squad members with
it's power claw.
Librarian Septimus strode thought the knee high water of the stream and approached the final survivor from the Grey
Knight force. The power armored remains of 40 Grey Knights covered the field. Some of the figures barely seemed wounded,
only close inspecition would show where bolter rounds had penetrated the vital areas. Others were pulped beyond recognition,
there Krak Missiles or Assault Cannon fire had torn them apart. Worse still were the hapless Marines that Chaplain Dominikus
and his Lightning Claw Assault Squad had torn through. Twenty plus elite warriors rendered into so much glistening meat by
the fury and skill of the brutal assault. The Chaplain and his Squad had attoned many times over for their earlier failure,
before finally falling at the feet of a Dreadnaught. Even then, their foe was so damaged by the confrontation it stood immobile
and helpless in the pile of bodies.
The haphazard nature of their foes' arrival had sealed their doom thought Septimus, that and the fact they had chosen
to stand against the Deathwing.
Septimus approached Dreadnaught Fidelio
as the ancient warrior held his captive firmly in place with a massive power claw. In his ornate Terminator Armor the wounded
Grey Knight Captain dwarfed even Septimus, but the massive Dreadnaught held him in place like a child. Septimus picked his
way through the remains of the Terminator Body Guards Fideilio had dismembered and stood to face the captive.
After staring into the hate filled
eyes of the Brother-Captain, and probing the formidible mental barriers the Inquisition had built, Septimus realized no ammount
of questioning, no matter the form, would unlock the Grey Knight's mind.
Septimus sighed, placed his Storm Bolter
to the Brother-Captain's head, and spoke, "You are deluded in your opposition to us brother. We are the First and Finest,
fighting for eternity to do the will of the Emperor. I deliver you know to the Him so he may remove the shield of ignorance
the Inquisition has placed around you and hopefully allow you to fight at his side in the final battle." The bark of the Storm
Bolter shattered the silence that had settled on the battlefield. "Destroy the Dreadnaughts. It is an undesirable task to
kill such warriors while they are helpless. Nonetheless, they are servants of the corrupt Inquisition and would report all
they have seen here, returning at another time to seek their vengeance."
As Krak Missiles thundered into the
armored giants, Septimus voxed out instructions for consolidation of forces, and sent his report to the Battle Barge secreted
in orbit above the planet. In turn, the coordinates for their next strike were returned and the Deathwing prepared to visit
the Lion's Justice on their foes again.
++++++++ transmission ended +++++++++++
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