A squad of Bullgryns stand their ground . . . to the death.

There! The wrecked satellite was lying just outside the deserted village. Yet, not far away, enemy forces were advancing upon the position. It was a race.

“Forward men!” shouted Captain Arjin, waving his sword over his head and pointing toward their objective. “We must hurry!

Objective: Recovery of Wreckage 761-A1
Location: Tylar Desert, Dozaria
Date: 6 921 738.M41
Forces Assigned: 73rd Tallarn Regiment.

Background

The Recovery of Wreckage 761-A1 was a  of minor skirmish in the Tylar Desert of the war-torn world of Dozaria. During an orbital battle between Imperial and Chaos naval forces, an Imperial surveillance satellite came under fire. Damaged, it fell from orbit, entered the atmosphere of Dozaria, and plummeted to the planet’s surface.

The satellite broke into pieces during its reentry, many of which landed in the Tylar Desert. Although it was considered unlikely that any key technology or data would survive the crash, Imperial authorities ordered an attempt to find and recover any wreckage that survived.

Thus, when a piece of the satellite was tracked to its crash site near a small village in the desert, the nearest available Imperial unit—the 73rd Tallarn Regiment—was ordered to recover the wreckage at all cost.

Forces

The Tallarn attack was led by several infantry squads, am armored Sentinel, a heavy bolter squad, and special weapons squad, along with assorted support troops and artillery. Troops were under the command of Captain Nazif Arjin.

The traitor forces were lead by a contingent of Plague Warriors (Death Guard), a Warp-tainted sorcerer, and several squads of heretical cultists. This force also consisted of two immense, mutated traitor Astartes, classified unofficially as “Obliterators” for the immense firepower these traitors were able to generate.

Command of the traitors was held by a Chaos Lord known as “Havoc.”

As the Tallarn advances, a heavy bolter squad deploys atop a sand dune and provides crucial fire support.

Deployment

The crash of the satellite was unanticipated by both forces, and both Imperial and traitor forces responded hastily to reach the crash site. As it happened, both forces approached the village at the same time, essentially making their engagement a race.

The Tallarn advanced from the east; the traitors from the west.

Imperial Turn 1

As a heavy bolter squad provides cover from a nearby sand dune, Captain Arjin and his command race forward.

Captain Arjin recognizes that the key to victory depends on seizing the objective and moving it behind Imperial lines. He orders a Chimera, with infantry embarked, and his armored Sentinel to race past the objective and attempt to block the street leading to the satellite wreckage.

If these vehicles can slow the advancing enemy, Arjin will beat the cultists to the crash site.

Behind the racing vehicles, Arjin’s command squad, a platoon squad, an infantry squad, and the Enginseer and servitors hurry forward as quickly as they can. Many trail badly, the men struggling to maintain pace with their fiery leader up ahead.

To the south, a special weapons team and Bullgryns move forward, hoping to block an open gate in the center of the village. Meanwhile, one infantry squad advances along the southern edge of the battlefield, while another squad climbs up a rusty gantry to provide fire from an elevation.

Enemy casualties are light. One cultist is killed by the heavy bolters. A supporting Wyvern manages to drop a mortar shell on six cultists, but only one is killed.

Chaos Turn 1

The traitor forces does not commit as fully to the race for the crash site. Although one mob of cultists runs down the street directly at the fallen satellite, other cultists run toward the two-story adobe buildings to the north of the main street, clearly intending to use a higher vantage point to target the Tallarn with auto gun fire.

Also on the main street is a more horrifying site. A squad of Plague Marines—surrounding by a miasma of diseased fog—strides down the street, seemingly unhurried and undeterred by the surrounding mortar fire.

Further south, Havoc, the Aspiring Champion, and an unidentified sorcerer advance down the narrow alleys of the village, using the shanties and adobe buildings to avoid coming under Imperial fire.

Beside them stride to immense traitor Astartes, mutated by the Warp, who are classified as “Obliterators” because of the immense firepower they are able to bring to bear against Imperial forces. Indeed, despite the buildings that limited their line of sight, these traitors manage to target the special weapons squad through an open gate and kill four of the six-man special weapons squad.

Finally, the traitor southern flank is anchored by another mob of cultists.

Imperial Turn Two

The Tallarn win the race to the objective, and Captain Arjin intends to keep it out of reach of the traitors.

The Chimera races just past the wreckage, then turns to block the street, while its embarked infantry squad unloads atop the satellite wreckage and begins to dig out the wreckage. Guardsmen find one intact component, and Captain Arjin orders them to carry it to the rear. The command squad and second infantry squad on foot will screen their withdrawal.

It is clearly the captain’s intent to withdraw. While the command squad move to screen the infantry squad with its prize, the Sentinel helping block the street opens up on the approaching cultists. Two die to multi-laser hits.

The Bullgryn are ordered to form up to the south of the command squad. This creates a solid line of obstacles to slow the traitor attack as the satellite component is taken to safety.

To the south of this action, the two remaining members of the special weapons squad choose to trade their lives to slow down the Chaos leaders and the Obliterators. The gate in the wall is the only easy route for the traitors, and the two guardsmen block it with their bodies, knowing their presence will slow the enemy for at least one more turn.

One of the guardsmen raises his plasma gun and targets one of the Obliterators. But the gun malfunctions, overheating and exploding. The guardsmen dies.

Chaos Turn Two

Key to the battle was the use of a Chimera and Sentinel to block the advance of Chaos forces.

The cultists reach the second floor windows of the adobe buildings to the north of the street and rain fire upon the infantry squad with the satellite components. Three guardsmen are killed, and their morale wavers. But the the stern words of their commander (whose war trait is Draconian Disciplinarian) helps the squad rally and stay on the field.

The cultists on the street charge the Sentinel but do no damage to the walker’s armored hull.

Although the Chimera attempts to stop the Plague Marines with its multi-laser, the traitor Astartes are unharmed. The Chimera is in their way, and raising rusty and corroded swords, they carve a hole in the armored transport, drag out its crew, and slaughter them.

The transport is wrecked.

The sorcerer strides forward and uses his psychic powers against the Bullgryns. Targeting them with the Gift of Contagion, the abhumans find their strength reduced by 1.

The Obliterators manage to kill the last member of the special weapons squad, but as they move forward, their line of sight remains limited by the surrounding buildings and stone wall ahead.

Frustrated by the winding alleys, the Chaos Lord moves south and reaches open ground. An infantry squad stands before him, startled by his appearance, and Havoc kills one guardsmen with his bolt pistol, then charges into the squad. One more guardsmen falls, but the courageous Tallarn hold their ground.

Click here to read the battlle’s conclusion.

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The Corvus Cluster is a Warhammer 40K blog documenting our gaming adventures in the fantastical sci-fi universe of Games Workshop.