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Curiosity Kills - Part 2
Captain Draco looked
at the tactical readout in the launch bay of the Battle Barge. It was being relayed by the Master of Ships on the bridge,
directly from the Ravenwing Scout units on the ground. As promised, the Ultramarines had returned in force, another Dreadnaught,
a Landraider, Terminators from the 1st Company, and half a Company's worth in troops. They were serious this time he thought
without amusement. Again the Ultramarine Captain had chosen to ignore Draco's warnings and beligerently demanded that the
Dark Angels actually turn themselves over to him as rogue, an avoid "sullying" the rest of the Chapter with their actions.
Draco reread his direct orders from the Inner Circle, and
grimly smiled. Their would only be one force to submit today, and it would not be the Dark Angels.
The Command Squad's Apothecary completed his final checks on Draco's health and
inclined his head with a nod. At that Draco turned to the Command Squad and spoke.
"Half of our beloved 4th Company is preparing to engage the Ultramarines below
us. They will hold the line as ordered, and begin to carve out avenues of attack for us. The Ravenwing will remove the
Terminators and the Crusader out of the Battle. We are honored to be as lightning strike from the sky, destroying the Ultramarine
formation our Brothers have fixed in place."
Draco nodded to the massive Dreadnaught across the deck, "Venerated Fidellio
will drop first and stike at one end of the weakened formation, rolling in towards the middle. We will strike at the heart
of their line, and destroy their command elements and will to fight. For the Lion and the Emperor we go to war again."
As the chanted Catachisms of Battle droned over the ship's speakers, Venerated
Fidelio, painted in Deathwing livery, clambered into his reinforced Drop Pod, and Draco led his Command into theirs.
The Ultramarines would soon learn to rue the day they crossed swords with the First and Finest.
Setup
The Ultramarines set up across
the top of the board. Their far left flank had a Tactical Squad in the open, with a 5 man assault squad and a Razorback with
6 man Tactical Squad inside behind a house. Another Tactical Squad stood on a slight slope leading up to a Whirlwind on the
hilltop. The Ultramarine Captain stood in the top of the watchtower, surveying the field. On the downslop on the other
side of the tower a Dreadnaught and Devastator Squad set up behind a farm wall, with another Tactical Squad in the woods of
the right flank. On the far right of the woods, a Land Raider Crusader loaded with 5 Terminators waited menacingly. A 5 man
Scout Squad infiltrated into the open in front of the Dark Angels' Devastators.
On the left end of the Dark Angel line
an Angels of Vengeance Tactical Squad set up behind the cover of a farm wall. A Ravenwing Bike Squadron with Melta Guns waited
behind a farmhouse, adjoining some woods. Stretched along the back of the woods were first the 5th Tactical Squad
and next the 2nd Tactical Squad. Behind those two Squads waited the 7th Assault Squad. On the right end of the woods the 9th
Devastator Squad set up behind another hedge wall. A two Speeder Ravenwing Multi-Melta Squadron hovered on the far right flank.
A Dreadnaught and Captain Draco and his Command Squad were scheduled to arrive via Drop Pod as reserves.
Turn 1 – Establishing
the Firing Line
Dark Angel Move
The Angels of Vengeance Tacticals
held fast. The 5th Squad moved forwards into the woods and established their firing positions. The Ravenwing Bikers turbo-boosted
along behind the woodline. The 2nd Tactical Squad and the 9th Devastator Squad remained in their position. The two Ravenwing
Speeders moved forward behind the farmhouse.
Dark Angel Shooting
The Angels of Vengeance fired a missile
into the Razorback, destroying it and killing 3 Ultramarines inside. The other three piled out behind the wreck. The 9th Devastator
Squad killed 4 of the Scouts and forced the Sergeant to run back to the Ultramarine lines. The 2nd Tactical Missile failed
to kill any of the Ultramarines in the woods. The Land Speeders were unable to penetrate the Crusader at range.
Utlramarine Move
The Crusader raced its full
move up the right flank and the Terminator Squad inside disembarked right in front of them. The Assault Squad leapt forward
beyond the farmhouse. The Scout Sergeant recovered from his retreat.
Utlramarine Shooting
The Terminators were able
to stun one of the Land Speeders. The Whirlwind fired at the Dark Angels Devastators and killed 2 of them. The Ultramarine
Devastator Squad was also able to kill one of their opposite Dark Angels' numbers, and the Right flank Tactical Squad dropped
one of the 2nd Squad Tactical marines with a missile. None of the other Tactical Squads were able to kill any of the Dark
Angels in cover.
Ultramarine Close
Combat
The Terminators assaulted the stunned Land
Speeder and destroyed it, but were unable to reach the other one.
Turn 2 – Land
Speeders make good Terrain
Dark Angel Move
Most of the Dark Angels held
fast. The 2nd Squad moved into the woods to take up their covered position, and the Ravenwing Bikes rolled forwards into the
cover of the back of the woods. The Land Speeder popped over the Terminators to the side of the Crusader for a kill shot.
Dark Angel Shooting
The Land Speeder missed the
Crusader. The Devastator Squad is unable to kill and Ultramarine Devastators in cover. The Angels of Vengeance and 5th Squad
combine their fire to kill 3 Assault Marines and drive the other 2 into retreat off the table.
Ultramarine Move
The Terminators crouch in
the wreckage and the Crusader holds fast. The Dreadnaught moves forward past the farm wall and the Scout Sergeant begins to
advance too. The left flank Tactical Squad begins to advance.
Ultramarine Shooting
The Crusader's Hurricane
Bolters glance the Ravenwing Speeder into oblivion. Combined fire from the Whirlwind and Devastator Squad kill four more
Dark Angel Devastators. The Ultramarine Tactical Squad is able to drop another marine from the 2nd Dark Angel Tactical Squad
in the woods. None of the other squads do any damage to the Dark Angles in cover.
Turn 3 – Dreadnaught
Assault!
Dark Angel Move
The Dreadnaught's Drop Pod
arrives on the left/middle of the field, and he disembarks using it as cover. All other Squads hold position.
Dark Angels Shooting
The Angels of Vengeance and
Dreadnaught combine to kill 4 Ultramarines in the left flank Tactical Squad. The 5th Tactical Squad in the woods kills the
three Tacticals that survived the Razorback destruction. Teh Devastator Squad anf 2nd Tactical are unable to penetrate the
armor on the advancing Dreadnaught.
Ultramarine Move
The Crusader and Terminators
stay in place behind the wreckage and farmhouse. The right flank Tactical Squad begins to move forward out of the woods. The
Dreadnaught and the Scout Sgt. continue to advance. Everyone else holds except the left flank Tactical Squad's Power Fist
armed Sgt., who leads his men towards the Deathwing Dreadnaught.
Ultramarine Shooting
Teh Whirlind switches targets
but is unable to find its Angels of Vengeance target. The Ultramarine Devastators and Terminators combine their fire to finish
off the last Dark Angel Devastators. No other firing is effective.
Ultramarine Close
Combat
The left flank Tactical Squad
charges the Dreadnaught, but the Dreadnaught kills the Sgt. and two marines immediately, forcing the 3 survivors into full
retreat. He consolidates towards them forcing them to run even further away from the battle.
Turn 4 – Rolling
Up the Firing Line
Dark Angel Move
On the left flank the Deathwing
Dreadnaught advanced towards the last three surving Tactical Ultramarines. The Angels of Vengeance Tacticals advanced, while
the other two Tactical Squads held fast. The 7th Assault Squad jumped over the woods and landed in the clearing next to the
Drop Pod. The Command Drop Pod arrived right next to the Ultramarine Dreadnaught. The Ravenwing Bikes roared straight through
the wood, also into the clear field beyond.
Dark Angel Shooting
The Dreadnaught could not
kill the three Ultramarines. The combined Tactical Squads were able to kill 3 Tactical Marines from the left of the watchtower.
The Command Squad concentrated its Melta Guns and Plasma Pistols to blow up the Ultramarine Dreadnaught.
Dark Angel Close
Combat
The Dreadnaught Charged in
to the 3 Tactical Marines, but could not finish them off.
Ultramarine Move
The Terminators begin to
move towards the bridge on the far right of the Dark Angel line. The Crusader backed around the wreckage and moved toward
the center and the Dark Angel Drop Pod. The rest of the Marines held firm for shooting.
Ultramarine Shooting
The Whirlwind fired at the Dark Angel Command
Squad but deviated off target. The Tactical Squad in the woods can only see the Drop Pod, and are unable to penetrate the
armor. The Devastator Squad is able to wound one of the Command Squad marines, but the Apothecary revives him. The Tactical
Squad on the left kills the Ravenwing Bike Sgt.
Ultramairne Close Combat
The Scout Sgt. raises hs Power Fist and
Charges the Command Squad but is cut down before he can do anything, enabling the Command Squad to consolidate closer to the
Ultramarine Devastator Squad. The Deathwing Dreadnaught kills two of the Ultramarines, and the other runs away from the battle,
allowing him to consolidate towards the flank of the Tactical Squad near the tower.
Turn 5 –
Command Squad Assault
Dark Angel Moves
The Ravenwing Bikers moved
forward within firing range of the Whirlwind. The Dreadnaught approached the left side Tactical Squad, as did the
Assault Squad. The Angels of Vengeance Tactical Squad rounded the forrest to have a long view across the field of battle.
The Command Squad moved towards the Ultramarine Devastators in cover behind the wall.
Dark Angel Shooting
The Assault Squad kills 5 of the Ultramarine
Tacticals with Bolt and Plasma Pistols, and the last man runs for the hills. The two Ravenwing Bikers and the Dreadnaught
fail to kill the Whirlwind. None of the Devastator Squad falls to the Command Squad's shoting, as the cover protects them.
The 2nd Squad Missile Launcher Shakes the crew of the Crusader with a well placed shot.
Dark Angel Close Combat
The Command Squad vaults the wall and kills 2
of the Devastators while losing 2 of their own.
Ultramarine Moves
The Ultramarine Captain leapt
out of the tower to reach the close combat. On the other side the last Tactical Squad ran forward too. The Terminators moved
up to the top of the bridge while the Machine Spirit rolled the Crusader forward towards the battle.
Ultramarine Shooting
The Terminator's and the
Machine Spirit in the Crusader combine to kill 4 of the marines from the 2nd Tactical Squad, 3 with rending shots
that cut right through the cover. The Whirlwind fired at the Assault Squad and killed one marine.
Ultramarine Close Combat
The Captain and full Tactical Squad charged
in to the melee at the foot of the tower. However, the Dark Angel Command Squad was able to kill 3 of the last 4 Devastator
Marines to one total loss of their own.
Draco watched as the few survivng Ultramarines tried to gather their fallen comrades. He watched as those that
had fled the field of battle were executed on the spot. As the last real threat, The Ultramarine Terminators and the Crusader
had already left the field as required by Draco in his acceptance of the Ultramarine surrender. The Dark Angel units had immediately
consolidated their lines into the positions formerly held by the Ultramarine Strike Force, and the recovery was performed
under their watchful eye. Draco turned and watched as Dark Angel serfs, servitors, and Apothecaries attended to their own
dead and wounded. Techmarines checked over damaged weapons and vehicles, and fresh troops were ferried in.
His distaste at killing fellow servants
of the Emperor was tempered by his pride in the martial prowess of his men and the execution of the Inner Circle's orders
to the letter. The shear scale of the Deathwing presence in this system was such as he had never witnessed before, so
the importance of the mission was extremely high. Draco understood that the services of the 4th Company of the Dark Angels
would be called again soon, and again they would be ready.
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