Battle Report: Battle for the Iron hope

Hello. Welcome to our second battle report set in the Great Crusade in our Karrus Sector. Hope you enjoy. 

Delegatus Kohler pulled himself through the door of the Sokar, released the rappel line and immediately ran to the cockpit. Just as he arrived, the last of the Iron Warrior survivors of the ground conflict were secured. It galled him to leave so many of the dead un-avenged as the damned Purokar decided to stand against the Imperium. The Stormbird turned Eastward and Kohler glanced down to see the Krios that had killed so many of his force in this callous Attack. It traversed it's gun skyward trying to track the Sokar as it picked up speed. 

'Kill that piece of feth,' he barked jabbing a blood and mud covered finger at it. The pilot and knew best to argue and had the gunner release a volley of Missiles just as the tracked vehicle finally drew a bead on them. The Gun platform exploded two seconds later as the four rockets ploughed into it's side. 

'Target destroyed,' came the voice of the gunner, yet even this act of vengeance could not brighten his mood. 

'Delegatus, Sokar two is going down!' Kohler turned to look Starboard just in time to see the Stormbird sent to extract his troops at Castellum Alpha dig a great furrow into the sand and explode into a fireball. 

Delegatus Kohler tore his crested helm free and dashed it at the nearest wall, 'those fugging Bitches!' He roared and booted a folded seat. 'Eight sodding years!' He looked back at the inferno and new better than to check if their were any survivors. 

The Sokar was picking up speed now and angling skyward and turning his sight from this now doomed world. He turned to the Vox operator, 'You, execute razing protocol on the Castellums on the surface, then contact Iron Hope.' He then began pacing the bridge. They had been played whilst he and the detachment stood on protocol. He had always had his doubts regarding this society. This unified League. He realised that the information he held would prove invaluable in the year or more of prosecution to come. His Iron Warrior Legion had been played whilst they followed protocol and it tasted bitter. 

'Delegatus Kohler' this is Shipmaster Dalakar. 

Kohler spoke into the Vox receiver, 'Dalakar what is the status of dock 3?' 

'It has taken minor damage from void battle,' came a response after a split second of checking its status.

'It will give us best access to the Astropathic chamber, we will land there. Sokar three will reinforce the bridge.' He knew better than to state that Sokar two had been destroyed, reliable Dalakar would have already be aware of that from his augers. 

'Affirmative Delegatus,' he responded and cut the link. 

The Iron Hope hung in the darkness it was already turning to give Lorencz Kohler best access to the dock. The Purokar league vessels were already moving to their standard interdiction patterns. Laser blasts brightened the void around them as the Iron Hope took light vessel after light vessel on. The bigger cruisers were getting closer though and the frigate would be no match for them. 

The Sokar entered the landing bay hard and the ramp lowered even before the front foot had touched ground and the Iron Warriors were out. 

'Sergeant Drozel, we have landed and are in corridor B17 enroute to the Astropathic chamber. We will be there in three minutes.'

'Affirmative Delegatus,' Drozel responded.

'Shipmaster, when Sokar three is boarded, set route to the Mandaville point,' Delegatus Kohler tasked, 'set destination for Winskrieg. We will make sure the Navigators are safe.'

'Affirmative Delegatus,' the shipmaster responded, 'time to Mandeville point is forty minutes'.

They needed to get that message out. As of this moment he knew the Astropathic choir had started their broadcast. He just needed to give them time.

Deployment. 

Start: Iron Warriors.

Iron Warriors get the first turn. Delegatus Kohler immediately pushes forwards with the last of his detachment. Rotor cannons prove to be ineffective against Thallax only causing one wound, whilst the trusty Bolter fire from the Tactical squad fells a Steel Guard. Whilst the holdout force at the other end of the battlefield manage to score a wound with the Volkite Culverin squad. 

The Thallax emerge through the fusillade and unleash their lightning guns, cooking a Support Legionnaire. The other Thallax squad escorting a Dominus still reeling from the Volkite onslaught try to exact their vengeance upon them but fail. 

The Ogryn charge forward into the IV legion guns and with the beast at the front taking most of the damage from the mass reactives and almost succumbs. The Rotor cannon squad advance towards the Thallax, but with the risk of getting overwhelmed they choose to deploy their weapons against the Kuskar Steel Guard. The Meltagun and Volkite Culverin squads concentrate their fire on the Thallax on the outside the Astropathic sanctum and destroy three of the Cyborgs. The other falls back following proscribed algorithms. 

The other Automata facing off against the Rotor cannon squad fall back firing at the Legionnaires whilst moving to carry out their mission objective. 

The Kuskar Steel Guard advance knowing that to not would mean eventual death at the hands of the IV Legion as the ship transcends to the Empyrean. They succeed in felling three of the silver sons of Olympia. The Magos Dominus advances alongside them. The rearguard Kuskar manage to fell two of the Rotor cannon support Legionnaires too in a heavy salvo of fire, with help from the Thallax.  

The Charonite charge is crushing. Broken power armoured bodies are torn into ribbons. Delegatus Kohler launches himself into a Charonite pulverising it's skull with a powerful swing of his hammer. 

The Rotor cannon squad kills a single Steel Guard, whilst the Iron Warriors defending the Astropathic Sanctum manage to fell seven as they unleash their fury. The Magos Dominus and his supporting Kuskar Steel Guard are laid low too by concentrated Volkite fire. 

The Iron Warriors that had escaped the planet cannot hold against the ferocious attack of the Charonite Ogryn and Delegatus Kohler has to fall back after his entire squad is destroyed. 

At one end of the field the Kuskar manage to fell the last of the Iron Warriors, with the Rotor cannon squad finally relenting to the fusillade. But the push to get to the Astropathic chamber is destroyed piecemeal as the vanguard Kuskar are laid low. 

The Thallax make a last ditch sprint for the Astropathic chamber as the Kuskar are killed, lighting up the Meltagun Legionnaires as they jet past. 

The Kuskar Steel Guard hear the sound of disciplined hands reloading Boltguns and take the opportunity to break cover and make a dash for the door. Their Lasrifles fell a handful of Legionnaires. The IV Legion refuse to fall back from shell, blast or bolt and take their revenge on the Cyborgs.

Blood sprayed over his visor from the right, and a took a moment from his fight to watch Sergeant Bazak get segmented in six pieces as the hydraulic claws of the gore covered beast finally won their war against the Sergeant's power armour. The chunks of flesh and sparking battle plate clattered and sloshed onto the deck. 

Empowered by rage and a desire for vengeance, Kohler ducked a clumsy swing by his opponent and pivoted to bring his Thunderhammer up in a brutal uppercut arc into the chin of the killer of Sal Bazak as it paused to admire it's blood work. The steel helm gave way instantly and the Ogryn's temple exploded in a fountain of brain matter and pale flesh. He turned instantly to engage the other Ogryn and used the haft of his hammer to deflect a punch from it's chainfist, but the force sent him reeling.

'You abhuman bastard!' He barked as his armour's servos roared with strain, 'when I get back to your feth damned empire, I promise you that I will stand in the ruins of your gene factory!' If the words had any effect they didn't show, but the death of it's kin made it nervous. This one with the hammer is dangerous. The thought lasted a second and it issued a loud Vox barked roar. He swung his Thunderhammer two handed and broke it's right arm at the shoulder, the smell of chemical blood and flesh mingled the air and was picked up by his autosenses. The abhuman moaned in pain and anger, he began to draw his hammer back from the crater he had made in it's flesh, but somehow the creature managed to bring it's left arm round and pierce him through his shoulder and waist, with it's crude power claw. Kohler roared in pain as his body was flooded with stims. He lost grip of his weapon as he was lifted into the air before being driven back into it the deck. His head rung with the impact and blood gushed into his helm, the claw was pulled out in a fountain of blood and flesh, a second later a giant foot came down on his faceplate once, twice and three times. He then got discarded with a kick across the floor, his head lolled and through his shattered eye lens he watched the monster lose interest him and walk back towards the nearest enemy. His vision blurred and darkness took him. 

The last Charonite rips into the last two Iron Warriors with Meltaguns, killing Sergeant Drozel. Sergeant Hurruck and his squad form up with freshly reloaded Bolters and decimate the creature and the last six Kuskar Steel Guard. 

Just outside the Astropathic doors the last Cyborg is obliterated as it tries to get past the Death Rays sporting Legionnaires. With that the Iron Warriors secure the Iron Hope. 

MVPs

So the battle was great fun. Once again for the Iron Warrior side the Volkite Culverin squad did exceptionally well. 

On the Purokar league's side it has to be the Charonite Ogryns, who totally made their points back and even taking Delegatus Kohler as a casualty. 

'Sergeant Hurruck,' came a lady's voice through his Vox. He recognised it as Lin Ferkosk the astropath. 

'Go ahead 

Lin,' he responded as he casually killed a suffering Steel Guard with his foot. 

'I can't get through to Sergeants Drozel or Bazak nor can I get in contact with Delegatus Kohler,' it was not news to him, his display indicated all three were dead men. 'Do you have eyes on?'

'What do you want Lin?' He asked ignoring her question. 

'The missive has been sent successfully,' she reported after a slight pause. 'War will come to the Purokar League.'

'Received,' Hurruck responded and cut the link. Nearby a cry was cut short quickly as a knife was administered uncleanly to a Kuskarite. He looked at the lolling form of the bloated Ogryn abhuman and stepped towards it considering how to go about killing it. Craters of blood and bone covered it's body it clearly was suffering and dying. He racked his Bolter and looked down past it's broken faceplate into it's simple eyes. It attempted to roar in anger but half it's chin was missing and the only noise it created was a bloody gurgly cough. He raised his Boltgun to fire. 

'It. . . is . . . mine,' came a wounded regal voice from behind him. 

Hurruck smiled, 'Dead men can't kill.' He looked over his shoulder to see Delegatus step forward dragging his Thunderhammer behind him with his only intact arm. His helm had gone and his bald head was covered in blood, from what looked like a segment of skull that was sticking out of the left side of his head. His entire chest plate and backpack had been removed or destroyed and blood streamed over his black Carapace from multiple punctures. 

'That is. . . unfortunate,' he spoke resolutely as he hefted the hammer clumsily into a one handed kill stroke grip, 'because this dead man. . . . Wants to kill-' the hammer fell and the creature stopped moving. 

'-an empire.'

Delegatus Kohler rolls on the casualty survival table and gets the Survived result. Delegatus Kohler has completed and survived the Warzone and so gets two rolls on the character enhancement table from Conquest. He gains 'Coordinated reserves' and gains +1 WS.

Hope you enjoyed our Battle report. Don't forget to check out the last one to get the full story. But the Imperium prevails and the message has been sent to call the Imperium to prosecute a forced compliance. Who will answer, find out soon. 

Drake Seta