Trooper Machintosh peered into the distance, the morning fog obscuring his sight slightly. His section of the front had been very quiet for the past two weeks, the xenos known as Eldar had gone into hiding, and no patrols had sighted them…granted no patrols had returned either, but the Eldar had not been seen at least, or…Pete Machintosh looked around as he thought he heard a twig snap behind him. He never felt the impact of the Ranger longrifle which caved in the back of his skull.

The Eldar assault rolled over the PDF positions with ridiculous ease. Few guardsmen survived the initial attack, but some kind of signal was sent back to command, alerting them of the danger. The forces of Rhiadan were attempting to break out of the PDF encirclement and achieve a link up with the newly arrived Ulthwé, who were trying to break through the lines protecting the mountain pass. Should they achieve such a thing, the planet of Demaron Secundus would surely be lost to the Emperor’s Light.

The Thunderhawks carrying Master Ciaphas and his entourage set down 16 kilometres west of where the Eldar had begun their attack. The terrain was hemmed into a bottleneck some 4 kilometres in breadth, and the Xenos would have to pass through here in order to reach their kin which were being blocked by Daedalus and his men. His Damocles rhino ready and in position, Ciaphas had sent Marxus, newly promoted to Epistolary to prevent the Eldar breakthrough and ending their menace on this planet for all time…  

Force Dispositions:

Detachment Ciaphas: Epistolary Librarian Marxus, Codicier Chairon, Deathwing Terminator Squad Valerian, Dreadnought Balac, Techmarine Haifon, 1^st Tactical Squad “Cain” in Rhino, 2^nd Tactical Combat Squad, 4^th Tactical Combat Squad, 5^th Tactical Combat Squad, 6^th Tactical Squad Combat, 2^nd Scout Sniper Recon, Ravenwing Landspeeder Tornado “Talon”, Ravenwing Landspeeder “Lion”, Ravenwing Attack Bike Squadron “Quintus”, Ravenwing Bike Squadron “Zacharia”, Whirlwind “Lion’s Wrath”, 9^th Devastator Squad.

Turn 1:  

Dark Angels:

The Dark Angels faced their heathen foe with quiet and grim determination, and remained steadfast in their positions. Only the Deathwing Terminators strode forward towards the nearest grouping of Eldar and their two Farseers.

With no movement to deal with, Codicier Chairon focused his thoughts, and from where he stood, a fiery, golden lion roared across the field. Its path across the field ignited the dry grass, and finally it hammered into the Dark Reaper Squad, through them and over the Voice of Rhiadan as well as the Banshees. The fury of the attack tore apart two of the Reapers, and their Exarch promptly turned and fled of the field. The Voice of Rhiadan was also severely battered, but his rune inscribed armour saved him from harm. The Banshees, however, managed to dodge out of the way of the flaming lion, and their aspect armour warded off the flames, leaving them unscathed.

Rhiadan Eldar:

Horrified at the casualties whom the Emperor’s Finest had inflicted on his forces, the Voice of Rhiadan ordered the second Guardian Squad which was accompanied by Adnachiel forward to occupy the position which had previously been where the Rangers had been.

The Eldar return fire was limited and sporadic, and no casualties were inflicted. Determined to exact at least some kind of blood the Voice focused on the Terminators bearing down on his position. Singling out one of the Assault Cannon gunners, he struck out with the fury of his mind, and the Terminator fell to the ground, his mind shattered.  

Turn 2:

Dark Angels:

As the Dark Angels prepared to unleash their fire once more, a rumbling was heard behind their lines. Marching forward, Brother Balac entered the field of battle, his twin-linked lascannon already seeing targets to engage. Just behind him came the “Lion’s Wrath”, and leading the charge came Epistolary Marxus, driving his bike hard.

The Deathwing Terminators once again marched forward, so that they might support Marxus on his charge.

Just as the Dark Angels had received reinforcements, so did the Eldar. Striding onto the field marched two mighty constructs of war, the revered Wraithlords, and immediately after them came two Vypers and a three-man jet bike squadron. Despite the massive reinforcements they had just received, the Warlock, whose squad had just been slaughtered, lost heart and fled from the field. Sensing that the Eldar farseers were trying to manipulate the strands of fate and fortune, the adept mind of Marxus intervened and negated their powers. The Banshees who until now had been sheltering behind the small wall, leaped forward as fast as they could, towards the approaching Terminators and Marxus. The Storm Guardian squad which had been hiding in the central wood now also advanced towards the Terminators.

Seeing that there was only a single Terminator left, the Banshees assaulted him. Yet, it was only the awesome prowess of the Exarch which felled the Marine, after he had fended off the attacks of the other screaming warrior women. Free from the threat which the Deathwing had posed, the Banshees consolidated into Marxus.

Dark Angels:

Disturbed by the deaths of the veteran marines, and the insult which the Eldar had inflicted upon their honour by killing the Deathwing, the Dark Angels were determined to exact bloody vengeance. All units stood their ground, except the 6^th Combat Squad which advanced over the hill on their left towards the Jetbikes which had boosted near them. Also, with remarkable efficiency “Talon” and “Lion”, along with Squadron “Quintus” came on the field.

Codicier Chairon once again summoned the Fury of the Ancients, and sent it burning across the field. The impact from the burning lion tore the Starcannon from one of the Vypers. “Lion’s Wrath” which was now in position fired its Vengeance barrage at the Vypers as well, but only managed to stun the other Vyper which was as yet still intact. 5^th Combat Squad fired their weapons at the Storm Guardians who had entered their sight, and along with the fire of “Lion” managed to kill four of them. As they were firing, the Plasma Cannon suddenly, and critically overheated, and exploded, tearing Brother Ahial apart. Seeing his warriors die around him, the Warlock and the last Storm Guardian lost their nerve, and collectively fled from the battle, much to the chagrin of The Voice of Rhiadan.

6^th Combat Squad fired their weapons as they ran towards the Jetbikes, rapidly closing the distance, Sergeant Damas led the charge, and he and his Marines brought bloody death to the Jetbike Squadron, killing two of them. Their ferocious charge so unnerved the last survivor, that he turned his bike, and flew as fast as he could back the way he came.

Epistolary Marxus, surrounded by fierce and skilled Banshees fought for his life. Parrying blows, which would decapitated less capable men, he defended himself with consummate skill, and in the process killed 4 of the Banshees, leaving only the Exarch standing. Yet, despite this, he bled profusely from two grievous wounds.   

Rhiadan Eldar:

Answering a desperate for help from the Voice of Rhiadan, the Falcon and its deadly Fire Dragon passengers arrived to aid the faltering Eldar advance. The two Farseers advanced forward now, ready to aid the Banshee, should she need it. To that end, they wove the protective weave of fortune about themselves, and, fighting with the Banshee, Marxus was not capable of blocking their powers with his psychic hood.

Having advanced past the two dead Wraithlords, the Falcon came to a fluid halt, and the Fire Dragons disembarked. With expert precision, they aimed at 6^th Combat Squad, and their deadly weaponry melted two of the brave Marines. The two Farseers focused their minds, and sent bolts of energy at the Attack bikes. Neither efforts of Marxus, nor their own force of will, could ward of the mental attack, and two of the bikes succumbed.

Turn 4

Dark Angels:

Then, just as Marxus fell to the ground, the angry growl of engines being driven hard resounded across the battle: Ravenwing had arrived! On the right flank Squadron “Zacharia” drove forward in a wedge formation, followed by Squad “Cain” in their rhino, “Gladius”. Realising his exposed position, the remaining Ravenwing attack biker fell back towards his own lines.  6^th Squad, and indeed the rest of the army, with the exception of “Lion” and “Talon” held their position. Balac, the ancient Dreadnought, also lumbered forward, ready to deal out destruction.

With the Falcon newly arrived, and aware of the threat it posed, Ciaphas ordered all available fire power to be fired at it. A barrage of fire instantly responded to his command, and though most proved ineffective, a single shot did penetrate its defences, and glanced off the side wing. That was sufficient to make the driver lose control, and the Falcon crashed into the ground, where it started to burn. 6^th Squad, and the sole attack bike, fired at the Fire Dragons, and the combination of bolter and heavy bolter shells tore the five Fire Dragons to bloody pieces.

Rhiadan Eldar:

As time was growing short, and the battle ever more desperate, the Waveserpent finally appeared, carrying the deadly Striking Scorpions. The Voice of Rhiadan, and his fellow Farseer, Morin, advanced towards Balac, whilst they renewed the fortune which shone upon them. The Banshee who had slain Marxus realised how vulnerable she was, and that she could no longer serve an effective purpose. With those thoughts of self-preservation in her head, she turned tail and ran…

The Eldar fire was practically non-existent, with the sole exception of a Vyper which popped out and fired its Starcannon at “Gladius”. The Rhino shook with the impact, and promptly the engine died, immobilized by the lucky fire of the Starcannon.

The Voice of Rhiadan and Morin assaulted the Dreadnought which towered in front of them. With a fluidity of movement the closed the distance and swung their Witchblades in graceful arcs. Barely had the battle commenced before the pair of Farseers had cleft Balac’s close combat weapon from his body, immobilized his legs and ruined the muzzle on the twin-linked lascannon, rendering it inoperable. Righteous rage filled his mind, and Balac swung stormbolter mounted on his other arm like a club. Surprise must have filled the mind of the Voice of Rhiadan as the lump of metal came slashing down, seemingly undisturbed by his eldritch warnings and powers of fortune, to connect solidly with his helmet, caving in his skull.

 As the Waveserpent came to a halt in the central woods, its pilot discovered that he had made a terrible mistake and overestimated his own abilities. With a horrible noise, the right wing buckled as it connected with a tree, and the machine was brought down. Fortunately its speed was sufficiently slow for it not to be destroyed by the impact, but it was not going anywhere either. Instantly, the Striking Scorpions inside disembarked.

Dark Angels:

The Ravenwing contingent swept forward towards the shattered Eldar lines, whilst on the right flank, Veteran Sergeant Kain swore under his breath as he ordered out his squad and started to jog towards the Eldar. Squadron “Zacharia” also swept forward towards the Guardian Squad which was accompanied by Adnachiel. Ciaphas had been very clear on this: Adnachial was a priority Magenta target, which effectively excluded everything else.

The Dark Angels fired most weapons at the downed Wave Serpent, trying to destroy it, whilst the antipersonnel weapons fired at the Striking Scorpions, felling three of them. One of the casualties had been caused by the Scout snipers, which resulted in the entire squad being pinned, as they sought to avoid the murderously accurate fire. Chairon once more focused his mind, and sent a flaming lion roaring across the field. This time, one of the Vypers exploded as the lion tore into is fuselage. “Lion’s Wrath” once more unleashed a salvo of Vengeance missiles at the Guardian squad on the far right, and this time the aim was true. Six of the Eldar warriors were caught in the blast and killed, whilst the rest fell back.

Seeing their target slip away, Squadron “Zacharia” leaped their bikes forward, and assaulted the fleeing Guardians. Having been inducted into the ranks of the Deathwing, Veteran Sergeant Zacharia knew perfectly well what was at stake. Using his bike as a battering ram, the furious sergeant tore through the remaining Eldar towards Adnachiel, whilst his men dealt with the Guardians. Just as quickly as it had started, the fight was over. For the loss of one Marine, they had killed all the Eldar, and Veteran Zacharia had personally subdued the Fallen Angel. Honour, if not victory, had at least been secured…

Morin, the last Farseer, battled Balac. Easily avoiding the slow blows of the flailing stormbolter, the Eldar stepped in close and ran his blade through the centre of the hull. The effect was instant. Balac fell silent, as the glow in the viewglass faded. A brave and ancient warrior had fought his last battle.

The situation extremely critical, Morin knew that desperate times called for desperate measures. Running towards the rear of the Dark Angels line, he came within sight of “Lion’s Wrath”, and as he did so, he wove the strands of fortune about him, hardly bothered by Chairon’s attempt to block his powers. The Storm Guardians who had been sheltered in the midst of the forest now exited it as they could sense the noose was being drawn. The Scorpions stayed put. The sole remaining Vyper dodged out from behind the forest, and sped towards the Eldar right flank.

The Storm Guardians fired at the near bike squadron, but they failed to make any impression on the implacable Ravenwing bikers. The Vyper fired at 6^th Squad, managed to kill Damas and two other marines with its Starcannon.

Meanwhile, Morin ran towards the Whirlwind and sliced his blade through the vulnerable rear of it. That ignited the fuel tanks, and a massive explosion tore through it, destroying it.

Dark Angels:

Realising that victory was practically within their grasp, the Ravenwing moved forward a bit, whilst the rest of the army aimed carefully at the few remaining Eldar units.

Squadron Zacharia started to fire their weapons at the last Storm Guardian Squad and at so short a range the twin linked weaponry was lethal, shredding the Guardians with impunity.

 The Scorpions were targeted by all other units, and despite taking cover behind thick trees, there was simply too much incoming fire, and when the blaze lifted, not a single Scorpion was left alive.

2^nd Squad turned around and faced the killer of “Lion’s Wrath”, and unleashed a hail of fire at him. Despite being protected by his fortune, there was too much fire, and Morin was wounded twice.

The sole remaining biker of “Quintus” saw the killer of his squad close by, and swore and oath of vengeance. As he was close by, he assaulted the Farseer, but despite having both fury and strength, he did not manage to incapacitate the Farseer. Only the thick plating on the attack bike saved him from joining the rest of Squadron “Quintus” in the arms of the immortal Emperor.

Rhiadan Eldar:

His body weakened, and his being assaulted by the upstart Mon-Keigh, Morin felt distressed. His entire army had been slain by these primitives, and it pained him more than the wounds his body had sustained. With scantly an effort he called upon fortune to aid him, and again the meddling of Chairon was insignificant.

The remainder of Squadron “Quintus” continued the struggle, and Morin swung his blade in a dazzling display of swordsmanship. Suddenly a dagger found its way through his perfect defence, and pierced the chest plate of his rune armour. With a sigh, Morin, last of the Rhiadan Eldar, fell to the ground, blood, crimson and rich, spilling from the mortal wound…

Epilogue:

Ciaphas walked slowly across the field of battle, surveying the carnage and destruction. Many brave warriors had fallen this day. An entire squad of Deathwing Terminators had been killed by the Eldar, and Marxus, the one who had worked so hard to secure victory here on Demaron, had been slain as well. Ciaphas consoled himself with the thought that he had fought and died as a true Dark Angel, faithful to the Emperor and his Primarch.

Across the field he could see the black armours of the Ravenwing and Interrogator-Chaplain Boreaus. He had read the report compiled and submitted to him immediately after the Rhiadan resistance had crumbled. The report had been brief and very much to the point: “Three-zero-seven secured”.

Boreaus would have plenty to do in the days to come, Ciaphas was sure of it. As he looked around, black smoke still billowing from the destroyed Eldar skimmers, he realized how close they had come to losing this planet. Had Rhiadan managed to push through the line and link up with their kin on the other side of the mountain range, there would have been no stopping them. Together, Rhiadan and Ulthwé would have conquered Demaron Secundus. Now that they were kept apart, they would perish. The heart had been torn out of the Rhiadan host, and already they were evacuating what few troops they had left. Ulthwé had been stalemated around the Webway Portal, subjected to an orbital bombardment, unable to break out of the ring laid around them and now with no prospect of a relief force, they too were abandoning their positions, falling back to the portal.

Kneeling, Ciaphas looked to the sky and offered a prayer to the Lion, and the Emperor. The Emperor’s Light had been sustained, honour had been secured, a Fallen had been brought back to the fold to receive the redemption required, and the Dark Angels stood triumphant.