Kill Team 4th ed style: grid point-zx772

Sweat dripped off the end of private Hooks nose as he sat crouching in the bushes. The humid jungle air stifled him and he found himself thinking longingly of the cool confines of the troop ship that had brought him to this rotten stinking planet. Up ahead a lean shape slid silently from a tree and silently landed on the ground next to the sergeant. No matter how many times he saw them Hook couldn't get used to the sight of the Kroot warriors that acted as guides for the Praetorian 23rd. The warrior pointed off into the distance and it was then that the fires became visable, Fires that burned smokeless atop stone pillars.

"Emperors teeth.." Hook breathed to himself. the men around him seemed equally agitated. their concern was not for the arcane fires nor for the roving squads of brutes moving about the perimeter of the enemies altar, but was instead for the two figures atop the altar.

There lifted up in the air was the Colonel and standing before him was a foul sorceror of chaos! Soulban hung limp in the air and at this distance Hook couldn't tell if he was alive or dead. Hook's attention was drawn away from this scene by the approach of a trio of cultists moving down a path. Hook held his breath waiting for them to pass but they continued off the path directly towards the kill team. All hope for a stealthy extraction fell by the wayside as the cultists opened fire on the Praetorians. Moments later as the giant forms of chaos marines joined the fray private Hook found himself alone, the last survivor. Hook felt a sharp pain as a rifle but hit the back of his knee, moments later a power armored fist smashed the bones of Hooks face and he slumped in the mud. The rescue had failed.

The game itself lasted about an hour. I failed to control any of the brute squads and was spotted right quick. Amazingly even 3 man squads of chaos marines proved too much for my 22 man squad! Oh well a fun game with a great opponent!

As for the colonel, it seems that the great deceiver has other plans in mind for him... Only time will tell.

Gridpoint Z-637

The daemon prince shrieked as it plummeted from the sky. In the ground ahead a vast warhost of chaos had materialized. On the targeting screen of his manticore McKenzie watched the daemon land in front of him an mockingly laugh off an entire platoons worth of fire. It was the creatures eyes the McKenzie was intent on and in the back of his mind a voice whispered. "be one with us and live"

Without his permission McKenzies hands plotted a new trajectory for his lethal pay load of missiles, and as his mind finally gave in to the dark whisperings he flipped the fire ignition.

Col. Soulban watched helplessly as the manticore pivoted. He called out his orders in vain as the missiles fired and in an instance that lasted an eternity, Soulban watched as his entire platoon disintegrated into fine black ash. He watched as the proximity of the blast flipped the firing manticore into the air the remnants of it's crew pulping upon impact.

Taking the company banner in his hands Soulban bellowed a challenge and charged a group of advancing terminators. His attacks rattled off their ancient armor and the counterblow knocked the old man from his feet and cut down his command squad.

As consciousness abandoned the Colonel he was vaguely aware of a massive clawed hand picking him up and then blackness.

the hoard bears down on the platoon. moments later they would be turned to ash as the Daemon Prince took control of the mind of the manticore pilot.

Guardsman Drake was able to escape with the platoons standard and report the capture of Col. Soulban. The company colors that accompanied the Colonel were recovered soon after. Ratling scouts operating in the area, informed high command that the Chaos Marines departed soon after the Colonels capture. [Commissars note: the Ratlings in question revealed their information only after the Commissar on duty threatened to have their lockers turned out.]

  It is also to be noted, the presence of a sorceror with the chaos terminators. It is possible to surmise that Ahriman may have been present on Rourkses prime during the time of this incident. [See Inquisitors Report]

Engagement at gridpoint J-349

I made it down to the Local shop for a game friday night. I played against marines and had a great time and the game resulted in a draw. I didn't have a camera with me so instead of offering up some sort of tactical analysis I thought I'd toss a bit of fluff out at the universe.

if that sort of thing interestes you read on....

+++
Private Sims looked down at his mud caked boots. In the back of his mind the Lady Commissars voice rang as she made her way down the lines of men on inspection. Two days of marching through this damned jungle cutting a path for the battle tanks reminded Sims of the constant mind numbing work he had been responsible for in the rookery. She was almost on him now and Sims knew that his muddy boots would mean some form of discipline, he almost let out a groan. lifting his eyes to meet hers as she stood if front of him he tried desperately to think of an excuse, but he never had the chance. A shot rang out from the jungle and Private Sims fell to the ground. His last vision was of the Commissar as she un-holstered her las pistol and returned fire.

Near the middle of the column Col. Soulban flexed his mechanical fingers and flicked on the power relay for his sword.

The traitorus marines advanced through a pathway in the trees their rhino transports speeding along crushing the underbrush. In the distance Soulban could make out the distinctive shape of a bastion tucked into the treeline. already he saw that Lt. Reeve was moving black platoon into cover behind some old aegis lines.

'Our auto-cannons will make short work of those transports' Soulban thought to himself but at that moment the hulking forms of three dreadnoughts burst from the trees. their forms heretically modified with what apeared to be xenos tech. Soulban recognized the shapes and reacted even before he thought. ordering his troops to ground as the deadly salvo of poisoned needles impacted on the aegis line.

Already the vox net was alive as Lt. Reeve called for close air support and as the Leman russ battle tanks rolled into position opening fire to little effect. The marines continued their advance and moments later a figure who appeared to be their commander led a squad of elite warriors from the back of a rhino to obliterate Lt. Reeve and his command squad. mere moments later the two remaining dreadnoughts (one having been destroyed by a battle cannon shell) crashed into the line of men defending the aegis line.

With a cracking sound the air overhead was was super heated as lascannon shots arched towards the enemy vehicles and simultaniously the bastion fired ineffectively at the newly arrived vednetta gunships.
an explosion sounded as one of the companies mercenary bounty hunters let fly a demolition charge and reduced the enemy commanders command squad to so much ruptured armor.

With a cry of hatred the enemy warlord charged from the smoke, bearing down on Col. Soulban.
with a flick of his right hand Soulban dispatched the traitor with a single white hot plasma shot. Content that the honor of the company was satisfied but aware that there was little to hope for but slaughtered praetorians by fighting the enemies machines Col. Soulban sounded the retreat.
'Let the artillary level this enemy stronpoint" Soulban thought as his troops fell back into the now welcome arms of the deep jungle.

+++

If you managed to stay awake than I offer my thanks

Blue Company, Black Platoon

The last few weeks have kept me busy painting away, but I finally completed my first platoon! here are some shots of the finished product.

The command Squad includes a vox, banner and two grenade launchers

First Rank, Fire!

Form A Hallow Square!

Rourksis Prime and the plaguestorm incident.

+++Incoming report+++
+++Clearance level approved+++
+++Record: Plaguestorm Incident+++

Rourksis Prime, Located in Segmentum Tempestus, was first discovered by an Explorator vessel in the middle years of M.36 marked as an excellent source of Promethium fuel from underground deposits of degraded plant material, Rourksis Prime has also become known for it's secondary export of exotic game animals that are shipped to various noble families around the Segmentum for sport or personal zoological facilities.

The death world came to greater attention during the closing years of M.40 when their planetary tithe went unaccounted for. The admisitratum sent out a survey team to audit the planet and discover the truth behind the missing shipments. what they found was a growing collective of un-sanctioned cults worshiping "the gods of the jungle." a request was sent out and an Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus set out for the planet.

The Inquisition arrived to find a sizable contingent of Dark Angels space marines vessels in orbit and were informed the the cults had been cleansed. Indeed Inquisitors on the ground could find nothing remaining of these cults save for the burnt husks of entire settlements razed by the vengeful marines of the first legion.

+++Expunged from record by Inquisitorial mandate 3994.773+++



All was well with Rourksis Prime until 3489986M.41 when once again the Imperial tithes began to slip behind. Initially the Planetary Governor requested the aid of the 13th Praetorian Imperial guard due to their experience with jungle and forested environments. However the 13th had been deployed to another war zone and the Lords of Praetoria felt that immediate action needed to take place.

It is likely due to the high numbers of game animals imported from Rourksis Prime to Praetoria for the noble houses that the Lords of Praetoria acted so quickly to ensure the Inquisition didn't descend upon Rourksis Prime. Inquisitorial which hunts so often involve obliterating native species that are deemed harmful and this would have force the Praetorian nobility to spend even more to import rare animals from further worlds.

The Praetorian 23rd under the command of the cantankerous Col. Soulban was recalled from it's duties hunting eldar pirates and immediately re-deployed to Rourksis Prime. The mission was to take control of the Rourkstead spaceport, the planets only functional spaceport, and seek out the source of the disrupted tithes and snuff it out.

+++More on the Plaguestorm incident to follow+++
+++Received by Astropath Drusch+++
+++Transcribe by Auto-Savant Fallough+++

Thought for the Day: Love thy work for it betters you.