LT4 - Grand Master Arakis

Panting in exhaustion, Mangos Kane, ducked into the smoking ruin of prefab building as a spray of bolter shells struck the scrambling techadepts. A servator armed with a heavy bolter opened fire just a few meters from his position “The base was under attack! Who?! Why?!” The thought had barely formulated before he fell blinded to the ground as a brilliant lance of plasma hit the servitor, instantly vaporizing it’s upper half. The few defenders were quickly being overwhelmed by methodical fire from their assailants. Kane risked a glace around the wall. In the trees to the south of the camp, immense figure in black power armor rained fire into the site. Focusing his bionic eye onto one, he saw the distinct winged sword motif emblazoned onto their shoulder pads. A group was in the camp, amongst the warehouses! He ducked back into cover. Muttering a prayer to the Emperor, Kane activated his distress signal, hoping help would come before these avatars of death. . .

Grand Master Arakis of the Dark Angels surveyed the ruined exploratory camp grimy. The camp had been erected at the base of an obelisk of colossal proportions, and the Adeptus Mechanicus team had clearly intended on studying the xeno tech that reputably resided within. He felt a surge of disgust in his chest, that servants of the Emperor had been butchered here to some, known end. The distress call from the Station had been received on his flag ship “Shield of Caliban” only two hours ago, but it felt longer. The fallen ones had been here, sacking the site and fleeing with their prize to some unknown destination. However, a long range scan from the descending Thunder Hawk had detected life yet in the ruins. Arakis’s practiced eyes picked out several likely refuge places. The Dark Angels strike force began to spread out, searching for survivor and any information on the whereabouts of the Fallen who had attacked them. Nearing the perimeter of the camp, several of the Dark Angels squads radioed in. They were not alone in their search. . . . .

2k game against Necrons, Rescue mission from the old 40k rule book. The Dark Angels looked like this:

HQ
Grand Master Arakis
Sword of Secrets, Combi-Plasma gun
Terminator Armor, Bionics, Lion Helm

Terminator Command Squad- 5 Deathwing Terminators
2 Assault Cannon, Furious Charge

Interrogator Chaplain Isaiah
Crozius Arcanum, Plasma Pistol
Bionics, Frag Greanades, Melta Bombs,

Command Squad Isaiah- All have Bolt Pistol, CC Weapon and Veteran Skill
2 Space Marines
2 Space Marines w/ Meltagun
Veteran Sergeant w/ Power Fist and Plasma Pistol
Veteran Apothecary w/ Plasma Pistol
Veteran Standard Bearer w/ Plasma Pistol and the Sacred Standard of Devastation

Elites
Deathwing Terminator Squad- 5 Terminators
2 Cyclone Missile Launchers

Venerable Dreadnought Emarziel
Twin Linked Lascannon, Extra Armor, SL

Dreadnought Gabrilis
Extra Armor, Smoke Launchers

Troops
Tactical Squad- 7 Space Marines
Lascannon, Plasma Gun
Deathwing Veteran Sergeant w/ Plasma Pistol

Tactical Squad- 5 Space Marines
Lascannon, Plasma Gun
Deathwing Veteran Sergeant w/ Plasma Pistol

Tactical Squad- 5 Space Marines
Missile Launcher, Plasma Gun
Deathwing Veteran Sergeant w/ Plasma Pistol

Heavy Support
Predator Annihilator
Extra Armor

The Necrons:
-Lord w/ Usual kit
-Nightbringer
-6 Flayed Ones
-36 necron warriors
-about 10 bases of scarabs
- 3 Wraiths
-3 Heavy Destroyers
- Tomb Spyder
- Monolith

The set up was like so:

Dread.Predator…Termies...TacSquad…TacSquad…TacSquad..Isaiah.ArakisDread
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………O………O……………………………………………O……....................……Nightbringer
……W->……………………………O………………………………...........................Wraiths..Scarabs
……O…………………O………………………Destroyers……..Warriors.Lord Spyder. Warriors

Flayed Ones, Monolith, and one squad of Necrons to Deep Strike

Objectives were scattered across the center of the board. There was scattered terrain and ruins all over the board. Most notably the Heavy Destroyers were largely out of sight. I got first turn, and the battle was underway!

Interrogator Chaplain Isaiah watched with contempt as the Xenos formed for battle. That they dare set foot on one of the Emperor’s worlds was trespass enough, but they now sought the Dark Angel’s quarry, somewhere in the ruins. The Grand Master’s orders were explicit though, that the priority was to find the survivors first, before delivering righteous wrath to these mechanical abominations. Directly before his squad, a blasphemous xeno towered above even Brother Gabrilis, one of the strike forces’ revered Dreadnoughts . The vox lines were alive with reports of alien assault units closing on the western flank of the strike force. Isaiah smiled grimly to himself as the order was given, and the heavy weapons of the Emperor’s finest gave voice.

Terrible luck first turn. All shooting was directed at Nightbringer, who stood just two turns from combat. Sadly because of my bad luck and my opponent’s good, he took only one wound from the barrage.

Arakis watched in horrified fascination at the creature before him. He directed every heavy weapon at his disposal to fire upon the massive alien, but to little avail, it’s invulnerable hide shrugging off superheated plasma, lasers, and blessed assault cannon fire. It fired a stream of lightning into Dreadnought Gabrilis, blowing away his combat weapon with a shriek of tortured metal. In desperation he engaged his combi plasma gun, and switching to it’s plasma chamber, fired. A shrill hiss came from the baroque weapon, and an instant later, it exploded, showering him with lethal energy than his armor was not proof against. As he fell to one knee, Isaiah’s Apothecary Brother Tobias applied pain suppressors to the wounds, and he rose again.

Isaiah saw in amazement as Arakis’s temperament plasma weapon overheated, wounding him, but it seemed Brother Tobias was up to the task. There were more pressing matters at hand. Languid creatures assailed Arakis’ squad, but the stalwart Deathwing held, smashing one of the constructs and causing them to retreat. His own squad came under threat. Shimmering metallic insects flew through the air, their soulless eyes fixed on the Command Squad. Above the din of bolter fire, Isaiah cried “Dark Angels; Behold the Sacred Standard of Devastation!” Brother Damiel unfurled the sacred banner, touched by the hand of the Emperor himself. With a resounding cheer, the Sons of the Lion unleashed hell into the enemy, bright bolts of plasma tearing them from the sky in a shower of debris. Melta fire hosed them, and yet more were demolished. An instant later, they where upon him. Smashing the diminutive annoyances aside, he shouted a prayer of thanks to the God-Emperor for the chance to smite His enemies. The squad destroyed many of the insects, who could do little but scratch the Marine’s power armor. Brother-Sergeant Uzziel disperse the swarms with lethal swats of his power fist. They had halted the first assault, but the leviathan loomed just beyond.

In my opponent’s turn 2 termies from the easternmost side were killed by destroyer fire, and Nightbringer penetrated the Dreadnought with lightning arc, destroying it’s combat weapon. In the assault phase I unfurl the Standard of Devastation, not wanting to be tied up with hordes of scarabs. The wraiths bounced off the Terminators, losing one and they fell back (big relief), and all the scarabs died one way or another.

Arakis stared at the huge xeno, approaching his squad . The beast had resisted the best the Emperor’s finest could give, and kept coming. He resolved to finish the matter. Sword in hand and Emperor in heart, he vaulted over a lower wall, the Deathwing close behind.

Deathwing squad beta reported, and having scoured the first of the buildings, and found nothing, took a position upon the roof top. Seconds later, a pair of missiles speared from their position, and with a thunderous impact smashed into the Nightbringer. The Dark Angels followed suite, and the holy blaze of plasma and laser tore into the fearsome creature. His own Termiators fired, the lethal bullets rending whole pieces from it’s body as the squad broke into a run towards the xeno. Isaiah and his command group gave covering fire, but suddenly as the bright flare of plasma struck it, the Nightbringer stopped. There was a sudden intake of air, before the behemoth imploded into ruin from the breach in it’s metallic hide. Arakis and his squad were hurled backwards, and only their immensely thick Tactical Dreadnought Armor saved them. The squad rose, dazed. Brother-Sergeant Octavious veteran of their long hunt did not rise however, his breastplate and helmet dinted in where he had taken the full force of the impact from the fore of his squad. Arakis said a brief prayer to the Emperor for him, before furtively viewing the battle once more.

Seeing lethal skimmers engage the second Deathwing squad, Arakis radioed the Predator “Sword of the Lion” to engage, and was satisfied when a moment later intense light shot into two if the flying necronthyre. Two fell with a muted crash, but one, more nimble remained, training it’s long barreled gun at the bone white armored figures.

My luck starts to pick up here, managing to kill Nightbringer with shooting instead of combat. Explosion actually killed 2 men, but again the Apothecary was nearby. Bad luck not killing the Heavy Destroyers though. Two Tactical squads did nothing!

Arakis felt his pride turn to surprise as one of the damaged skimmers, hit directly by a lascannon morphed and repaired itself, leaving little more than scorching to mark the weapon’s violent blow. He muttered a hasty, preventative prayer for thinking them so easily defeated. All of a sudden, crackling warp energy lashed drunkenly around the Necron lines, and for a moment Arakis thought the Emperor had intervened to save the hard pressed Dark Angels. But an instant later, an xenos Monolith materialized within their ranks, bringing more warriors to battle. Steeled against such horrors, the Deathwing resolutely advanced. Further on the eastern flank, hunched metallic warriors rose from the ground, confronting Deathwing Squad Beta as another of their number was blasted apart in a blaze of lethal emerald energy. “Our faith is our shield” Grand Master Arakis intoned, his voice barely audible over the whir of the assault cannon motors. “Angels, advance!”

Isaiah’s eyes where not on the distant warriors however. Just few meters ahead, a pair of wraiths emerged from a burned out prefab building, chasing the techpriest, their quarry! All around his squad, the Dark Angels planted their boots and gave the aliens everything they had. In the distance warriors fell, and the Monolith exploded, it’s hull pierced by a brilliant spear of energy. Ahead the terrified adept was snared by a wraith and fell to the ground, his killer poised serpentine above. There was not much time. With a roar of “For the Emperor, and for the Lion”, the Dark Angels crashed into the wraiths. Isaiah fired his pistol at point blank range, blowing apart one of the necronthyre. He hefted the prone man, and felt a blow glance off his shoulder pad as the wraith attacked, immediately before Brother-sergeant Uzziel’s Power fist settled the matter. Isaiah hurried back to their lines, carrying the unconscious man lightly over one shoulder. His brothers could dispense the Emperor’s justice here. He had more pressing matters to attend to. . . . . .

In my final turn all the heavy destroyers are taken out by tactical heavy weapons. The predator lets fly at the monolith, managing to destroy it with a single glancing hit! Arakis’ squad opens up on the Warriors killing 6 or so, and over on the other flank the terminators kill all the flayed ones. Brother Emarziel destroys 2 necrons with his lascannon and storm bolter, before closing for assault. The command Squad pounces on the last wraith after Isaiah kills one with his plasma pistol. I assault the wraith with the objective, killing it and managing to consolidate a full 6” back. At this point my opponent conceded the match, having little heavy firepower left, and the objective clearly out of reach.

Arakis heard the heavy boots on the as they strode up the long hallway towards the inner command center upon the Shield of Caliban. “Is it done Brother-Chaplain?” he asked, knowing who stood behind him. Isaiah stated manner-of-factly “It is Grand Master, the Tech Adept has provided us with the information. We know what the fallen sought, and where they must flee.” “You have done well as always Isaiah, you are dismissed.” Said Arakis, and the Chaplain turned and left. “Arakis to the bridge. Come to new heading, we have a new destination.”