Space Marine Reports: Week 8

[IncubiLord]

The narrative portion of all Space Marine battle reports should be posted here until next week's thread is set up.

Remember that this is a narrative campaign and we are looking for a story that advances the plot, not a blow-by-blow accounting of the game.

[alex]

Tarrant stood by a communication panel inside a land raider crusader. His command squad stood around him, eagerly awaiting the order to issue forth and engage the orks on their own turf. Tarrant flicked some switches and punching in some buttons. A communication line sparked to life, connecting Tarrant to his captain on the hulk.

“Tevon, this is Tarrant. Status report:”

“We cannot enter the crystal ship. There probably is a way inside, but we must first discover it. It appears our Eldar allies here on the hulk have decided to throw their lot in with their dark kin, as they have decided to not let us in. I will continue my efforts”

“No, there is no more time left. Evacuate the Hulk. Let the eldar have their prize.”

“Commander, I assure you I can…”

“No, the Hulk is breaking up. To try to enter the Crystal Ship now would be a death sentence. The Blood Dragons have accomplished much here on Tiorl, it is time to go and leave the system to its fate.”

“Yes commander, Tevon out”

Tarrant punched another button with his armored finger. The link was severed and the panel went dark. Tarrant looked over at another screen. The dispay was a rendering of the ork city, and the area around the ork mega cannons, on tiorl. Eldar forces, or what few remaining units there were, highlighted in blue were retreating as fast as possible from ork forces, a virtual tide of highlighted green. Necron units, highlighted in purple, where intermixed among the orks. They were attacking the guns and a few other structures. Hmmm.

The eldar had held to their offer to aid in attacking the orks, at least. The eldar were supposed to have punched a hole in the ork lines to allow the Blood Dragons a quick run at the ork guns. Instead the Eldar had flown headlong into an immovable wall of orks and had been swept away. The plan had failed.

Tarrant began to punch in buttons and highlight areas of the map. His units, highlighted in red, began to move on the display to interpose themselves between the Eldar and the orks. He was going to engage the orks. Perhaps he could force his way to the orks guns. At the very least he would keep the ork army occupied so the evacuation of other Imperial forces could proceed unhindered.

The red images moved into the green wall.

============================================

Tarrant stepped out of the crusader for the first time, flanked by his honor guard. The battle was over. The fight had gone so well he hadn’t needed to commit himself into action. The crusader had gone through a fair bit of ammunition, though.

The sisters of battle Tarrant had accepted into his forces had done well, though they had suffered serious casualties and lost their canoness. She had held up the ork mobs long enough for the rest of her sisters to set up a nice counter attack, before being pulled down by overwhelming numbers. Another martyr for the cause. The large structure they had done most of their fighting in was still ablaze, the ork bodies within now just little black mounds of burning meat. Tarrant had had his doubts about them CHOSING to close with the ork lines, but their preoccupation with fire served them well.

The Blood Dragon losses had been minimal. The orks losses had been severe. Only the ork warboss and a few of his boys had managed to evade the Blood Dragon forces and flee to safety. The battlefield was so covered with ork bodies you could walk from one end to the other and not have to touch Tiorl soil. Their looted Leman Russ was a smoking wreck, their dreadnought exploded into unrecognizable scrap.

Tarrant hoped it was enough. If other Imperial forces responded quickly they could now attack the ork mega guns directly. If not then at least the Blood Dragons had kept a large portion of the ork army occupied for as long as they could.

For the Blood Dragons it was time to go. Ascanius and his ships had entered the system. Tarrant needed to report to HIS master. Other pressing concerns demanded their attention.