Week 7 Tau Narrative

[IncubiLord]

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

While you can choose to play the campaign with a more strategic focus than narrative, your report still requires a story (which does matter, so write something). Remember also that narrative is for advancing the story, not giving a dry, blow-by-blow account of your game.

[buffirn]

Communication to Commander Bright Eyes - Commander, Centarius Peace Management Team.

+ + + Transmission begins + + +

+ + + Drone encryption enabled + + +

Begin encryption….

Sir,
Quick Silver Cadre has begun operations in the vicinity of Salvation on Ionia. Aerial recon elements identified an unknown force moving along the coast towards the port facility. Piranha recon elements were dispatched to the area and reported a large force of mounted Orks closing on Salvation. A mobile Hunter Cadre was formed and dispatched to intercept and destroy the Orks.

The Ork force was intercepted in a clear area just inland from the coastline. The force consisted of trukks, buggies, bikes, dreadnoughts, at least three mobs and a looted Leman Russ. The cadre commander, Shas’el Rapid Battle, deployed using the mobility of his forces to spread the Ork line thin. Once the Orks took the bait, the cadre abandoned the right flank and concentrated on the forces on his left flank. The initial volley from the Hammerheads damaged one dreadnought and the Leman Russ.

The cadre’s Fire Knife teams quickly maneuvered to the flank of the Leman Russ and killed it with concentrated fire from their missile pods. The Hammerheads continued to pour fire into the remaining dreadnought and the mobs on foot. The Warfish maneuvered into position to halt the advance of the bikes. With the help of concentrated SMS fire and the pulse rifle fire from dismounted Fire Warriors, the bikes were halted and utterly destroyed.

The Ork forces on the right flank began to maneuver to enter the battle. After dispatching the Leman Russ and one dreadnought, the cadre’s Hammerheads turned their attentions to the Warboss’s trukk and the missile buggies on the right flank. The flank security Warfish was decisively engaged and eliminated. The wounded were evacuated following the battle.

As the Hammerheads began to deal with the vehicles on the right flank the combined fire of all the SMS and Fire Knife teams destroyed all Ork combatants on the left flank. Seeing that his position was hopeless, the Warboss began a fighting withdrawal. The Ork force eventually broke contact after all of the mobs were sacrificed to save the remaining trukk and buggies.

The cadre’s losses were light, 4 KIA, 10 WIA and 0 MIA. Two XV-8 Crisis Suits and a Warfish were heavily damaged, but recovered for restoration. The enemy losses were high and the area has been sterilized to prevent Ork infestation.

Our recon elements continue to search for further Ork incursions and the remnants of this particular force of Orks. Their escape route took them into the rain forest where recon elements have been hampered by the density of the terrain.

Commander Mercury

End Encryption.....

[buffirn]

Communication to Commander Bright Eyes - Commander, Centarius Peace Management Team.

+ + + Transmission begins + + +

+ + + Drone encryption enabled + + +

Begin encryption….

Sir,
I must report an incursion by Space Marines of the Ultramarine Chapter. Recon element from a forward staging base detected a sizable force approaching. A detachment of Fire Warriors and Sniper Drones were sent to set up an ambush and destroy the advancing force.

Taking advantageous positions, the detachment prepared for the coming battle. The first Marine elements were sighted and targeted by the Sniper Drones. Throughout the battle, the Sniper Drones would prove their worth by downing many Marines.

The Marines advanced with three squads, a land speeder and a predator. Shas’el Sly Hunter quickly dispatched the land speeder while the Fire Warriors and Sniper Drones traded fire with the Marine Squads. The Marines appeared to be searching for an unidentified object in a dense copse of trees near the center of the battle. A strange Marine who appeared to attack with thought led the Marines. This Marine was dispatched by plasma rifle fire from Sly Hunter. The Marines were eventually driven off. They left quickly and what they recovered from the trees is unknown.

Recon elements continue to search for these Marines.

Commander Mercury

End Encryption.....

[easye]

Generally, being the gunner in the command tank was a pretty good place to be. Sure, you had the Baron’s eyes on you all the time, and he drilled you pretty hard; but the upside was you weren’t usually at the tip of the lance. It was a lot safer being in the follow-on assault wave. Not today.

Trooper Keel ran a panned the targeting console with his eyes, actively searching out target’s. He knew this was the big push to Wulfgedden, and enemy resistance was expected. Despite this, the Baron had insisted that he lead the assault on his former manor house himself. The other Lord’s had pleaded for him to follow the normal protocols, and Trooper Keel had silently hoped they would succeed; but it was to no avail. The Baron was going to be at the head of the column.

Keel had been fighting with the “Wardogs” since the beginning of the campaign. In that time he had seen some amazing things, but nothing had been more bizarre than the drive towards Wulfgedden. When the locals saw the Baron’s heraldry flying from the comms, they cam flooding from their homes. The tossed flowers, offered food, and cheered them on roundly. It had been surreal. These poor, starving, and cold peasants were coming out into the frigid weather and offering their few luxuries to them.

The Baron had watched it all grimly. Without the aid of these peasants and villagers the drive would have stalled quickly. They willing gave up provisions and fuel. Without these the tank company would have been running desperately low on provisions. Now, there was enough to push forward.

Then, there was the other side of things, the less heartening. Along the roads hung the carved and desecrated corpses of things that had once been living. Sometimes it was farm animals or wild beasts. Others it was people. They all hung like slabs of meat in a butcher’s shop, their innards hanging and rotting along with them in the tress. Since the cold set in, they had frozen into impossible shapes. These terrible signs led the way to Wulfgedden.

The gunner was thankful for the looming combat. It made him watch for potential threats, instead of staring in abject terror at the grotesque menagerie hanging about them. As they proceeded, every clank of the treads was amplified by the cold air. Every creek of the armor echoed about the cabin. The engine rumbled, generating the life giving heat that enwrapped the crew.

The tank clanked across the frozen road. The frost gave way under its massive weight. It was clear that they were traveling past fields that had gone reaped, as the dying grains stood brittle in the cold. Isolated barns stood empty, with many decorated in the same grizzly fashion as the roads.

The Baron spoke, “There it is. Wulfgedden.” His voice was heavy. Ahead, were the blacked out remains of the former manor. It was nothing but a shadow of a ruin. A lone corner all that remained. The rest was a pile of cinders.

As they approached, a strange musical hum filled the air. Trooper Keel listened intently, and the longer he listened, the more he knew it was singing to him. His eyes looked towards the hatch of the tank. He knew it was muffling that beautiful song, if only he could open it to hear it better. His hand drifted towards his safety harness.

The Baron cleared his throat, “Trooper Keel. What are you doing?” He locked his gunner in a stare as icy as the Castellan wind.

“Ahh,” Keel fumbled for words, “I don’t know sir.”

“Then I suggest you man you station,” the reproof was evident to everyone in the crew, and it shook Keel out of his trance. As his eyes settled back on his targeting screen, he realized that the song he had heard was nothing more than discordant noise, screeching in the wind. He rubbed his eyes, and wondered what had come over him.

Then, he saw movement in the ruins of Wulfgedden. Garish pinks and insane purples took to the roofline. The crazy display of colors made it hard to pick out anyone figure. “I have contacts at 20 degrees, elevated.” Keel automatically reported. As he watched his screen, larger things began to move from out of the ruins, dreadnaughts and tanks.

“Sighted. Land Raider at 355 degrees. Give them a taste of Centarius steel,” the Baron’s hands danced over his command console as he issued orders to the other tanks. Keel swung the big gun of the command tank onto its target. A massive black and gold trimmed Land Raider. The armor of these machines was legendary, almost impervious to most anti-tank weapons. Of course, Keel wasn’t operating just any anti-tank gun. The Tau had made extensive modifications to the tanks main gun. Now, it fired something much more advanced than a simple AT shell.

A small APC leading the Land Raider erupted from a direct Las-cannon hit. The marines inside spilled out, but were soon engulfed by a pair of battle cannon explosions. The smoke from the wreckage partially obscured Keel’s shot, but the advanced targeting computer cut through the gloom and locked on. He fired. The tank shuttered as the sub-munition was accelerated to super-sonic speeds. Instantly, the hatches on the Land Raider blew off in multiple directions.

“Nice shooting Keel,” the Baron nodded.

Keel began swinging the massive gun towards a dreadnaught on the right. Its las-cannons sliced through the turret of one of the Leman Russ tanks. Keel swore he heard the chaotic machine roar. The garish marines in the ruins blasted his tank in the front glacis plate. The command tank screeched, moaned, and wailed. He involuntarily covered his ears, and he felt his teeth rattle. The odd feeling of vibrating everywhere soon passed.

“Report.” The Baron commanded. Everyone checked in. The tank seemed unharmed. It’s armor holding fast. Keel lead the charging dreadnaught, and let fly with another shell. The dreadnaught’s upper torso toppled backwards, as its legs kept charging. It was a moment before they too toppled into the frost. Keel began to traverse the gun again, searching for new targets. He found none.