A Kroot Hound attacks a Tallarn soldier. The ferocity and speed of these sizable beasts proved disastrous for 1st Squad, disrupting their squad’s fire against the advancing Kroot. By the time the hounds were killed, three guardsmen were dead, and the Kroot charged into the disorganized squad.

“The Kroot reveal the true barbarism of xeno life, It’s bad enough they’ll eat you if given half a chance, but a small portion of who you are becomes a part of them. It may just be genetic matter. But I see it as an affront . . . as if they deliberately trap a part of you and carry it with them forever.“—Captain Zarath Faltz, , Baker Co., 728^th Cadian Regiment

* * *

Continued  . . .

Single Envelopment, Total Rout

What kills me, in hindsight, is how easily we could have won the fight. If Lt. Bollard had simply advanced quickly on the Kroot right flank, we could have outnumbered them and busted them up—while the xenos’ flanking force would have been too far away to affect the fighting.

The forests of Dar Sai are thick with vegetation, making movement difficult and limiting visibility for Imperial guardsmen. For the Kroot, however, the forest is their favored battlefield.

With half their force wiped out, those Kroot would have been forced to retreat.

Instead, we waited until they attacked. The Kroot on our left came in, with their damnably hounds racing forward with frightening speed.

Although several were shot down, the rest ran directly into our firing line, throwing themselves at screaming guardsmen who found themselves torn apart by the beasts’ powerful jaws.

The hounds were quickly killed, but they’d totally distracted 1st Squad from firing at the approaching Kroot, and the xenos were able to close the gap to our men and get into hand-to-hand combat.

Now, many people have never faced a Kroot. They’re essentially a two-meter-tall, muscular avian xeno with a perverse, barbaric enjoyment of killing—a less bulky version of a maddened ork. In hand–to-hand combat, a guardsmen is at a disadvantage, and 1st Squad did not have any veteran troopers.

Within a minute, 1st Squad—what was left of it—was running for its life.

Lt. Bollard wasn’t a complete idiot. He saw his mistake, and he’d gotten a report that some Kroot were turning his flank. He ordered 2nd Squad to fall back in an orderly manner, provide cover fire for 1st Squad, and try to reform at the top of a hill next to the tiny village to our right.

As First Squad reeled from the Kroot attack, the order was given to fall back to a nearby hill. But, as the 4th set up a firing line in hopes to stopping the pursuing xenos, the guardsmen found themselves outflanked and outgunned.

The Last Stand

Actually Bollard handled the withdrawal well. Using grenades and a well-placed flamer, the platoon managed to stall the Kroot pursuit and form a halfway decent firing line on the hill. It didn’t hurt that Commissar Tycho was bellowing both threats and inspiring exhortations at the men.

It wasn’t enough. The Kroot came up the hill with everything they had. With high-pitched whoops and screeches,  they ran right toward our volley line. Alas, the men were shaken and our fire was desultory and inaccurate.

As the Kroots got closer, we were distracted by a s second round of war cries—despite our efforts, the xenos had turned our flank. They charged forward on our right, throwing their version of frag grenades at us. Half of our men fell, including commissar Tycho and Lt. Bollard, and the remainder hoofed it.

In the end, only three guardsmen, including myself, managed to get away. I wasn’t with the main force. I’d moved to a tree line farther to the left flank, where I could fire from a rock outcropping with a clear line of fire to the battle. I took out five Kroot, including what I believe was a xeno chieftain.

But when our firing line collapsed, and I saw two guardsmen dragged down as they fled—and the Kroot began feasting on these now-screaming men—I decided to run. There was nothing more I could do, and I’d rather risk a firing squad than let those xeno bastards catch me.

Only 13 men and a Bullgryn made it to the top of Kroot Hill. Only two men, along with Pvt. Levers some distance off, managed to survive. A commissar and the platoon commander died in the valiant last stand.

Aftermath

I’m lucky Captain Faltz likes me—and there wasn’t a commissar available to take my report. I could easily have been shot for fleeing in the face of the enemy.

But Faltz isn’t a fanatic. He’s old-school, tough-as-nails practical. After hearing my report, as well as that the two guardsmen fortunate enough to outrun the xenos, it was pretty clear that Lt. Bollard simply hadn’t had the experience to go up against Kroot—particularly in a forest environment where the xenos excel in fighting.

Still, I’m struggling. This is the second time I’ve had Kroot chase me through a forest, . The first time left me shaken. This second time is worse. I was alone after the battle, and the damned xenos made certain that I heard them right behind me, for a day and night, before they gave up the chase. They wanted me to know they were going to eat me alive if they caught me.

It’s been three days since I got back to camp, five days after the battle, and I’m having a hard time pretending to be the stoic veteran that I am. My hands are shaking. I break into hot sweats in the night. The nightmares . . . I only give thanks that I haven’t woken up screaming. How the men would talk.

I’m GOING to get a grip on myself. I’m Pvt. Tyesha Levers, tough bitch, sniper extraordinaire. The best sniper in the regiment. I’ve a reputation to maintain, and I’m not having some of the uber-macho idiots I serve with—men who are not half the soldier I am—look down on me because I’m shaken by a screwed-up fight.

– End Entry –

TheGM: I will fess up. I was Lt. Bollard. We were short a player for this scenario, so I filled in the slot. Having played the scenario multiple times, I should have known better than to allow the Imperial patrol to just sit there and allow the Kroot to maneuver as they liked.  We should have taken the fight to them, particularly once they divided their forces to turn the flank.

Alas, although  I finally realized the right tactical solution to the battle, it was too late. One of the Kroot players sent in his Kroot Hounds and followed up aggressively. The Hounds really tied up 1st Squad, and it took it on the chin. With the  Kroot moving on our right, I decided we needed to get out in the open and use our superior firepower against the xenos.

It wasn’t a bad idea. We withdrew rather well, but the Kroot players had figured out the value of frag grenades. Two well-thrown grenades pinned down half the Imperial firing line, and the Kroot were able to get into hand-to-hand combat. It was a slaughter.

After more than nine years and untold battles, I still have so much to learn. I definitely belong in logistics, not in a combat command.

Click here to return to the story’s beginning.

—

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