The Necron army slowly advances on the Terminators guarding the Relic. Despite intense fire, the powerful armor of both combatants limits casualties. Still, the xenos are getting closer to their objective.

“Our people are awakening, and soon all of the galaxy shall be ours once more.“—Anrakyr the Traveller

* * *

Continuing from Part 1 . . .

Necron Turn Three

The Necrons advance cautiously, careful to stay at a distance should the Terminators charge. The Monolith and Doomsday Ark fire again at the Terminators. It is astonishing that the Terminators have been so timid during the battle: two turns of enemy fire and not a single casualty!

Two squads of Necron warriors and a unit of Immortals have a line of fire at the recently arrived Sternguard. The veteran Space Marine unit is wiped out. First Blood for the xenos.

The Doom Scythe performs a sharp turn and brings the Stormraven Gunship under fire. The gunship takes a Glancing Hit.

High Marshal Ioculus and his Honor Guard arrive aboard a Stormraven gunship and strafe the Necron lines.

Imperial Turn Three

The Space Marine vox channels thunder with the sound of cheering. An ancient Sicaran Battle Tank rumbles onto the battlefield. Now we’ll show the xenos how to shoot . . . or maybe not. The tank’s Herakles pattern Accelerator Autocannons (S7, AP4, Heavy 6, Rending, and Twin-linked) misses every shot.

Ioculus spots an opportunity to turn the tide. He orders his Stormraven to land on the Necrons’ eastern flank near a village of shanties. Rushing out its front hatch, he leads his Honor Guard directly at a squad of warriors amidst the shanties.

Alas, a low charge row means he can only bring three Necrons into close combat. Still, the xenos are, of course, wiped out with contemptible ease, and the rest of the warriors rout off the battlefield.

This charge inspires the Terminators. They rise and rush forward. One squad targets the Monolith, despite the odds against it. The second squad targets the Triarch Stalker. Both squads strike home repeatedly, but they cannot pierce the vehicles’ energy shields.

A Necron Ghost Ark advances and disembarks a squad of Necron warriors on the flank of the advancing Terminators.

Necron Turn Four

The Doom Scythe’s pilot has maneuvered beautifully. For the third turn in a row, he manages to swing about and target the Sicaran Battle Tank. The Space Marine relic also is targeted by the Doomsday Ark’s heavy cannon.

The combined energy of these weapons  burns deeply into the tank’s hull and vaporizes the shielding of its fusion engine. The treasured armored vehicle blows up—an explosion so powerful that every Space Marine feels the shock wave. For all their outrage at the vehicle’s loss, their morale sags.

On the western flank, a Ghost Ark advances and disembarks a squad of Necron warriors within firing range of the Terminators fighting the Monolith. The xeno craft pulls back from the Terminators, activates its Eternity Gate, and another squad of warriors disembarks.

Now the Terminators are being fired upon from multiple flanks.

To much consternation, the Terminators survive. Why, I wonder, weren’t the Terminators more aggressive in the beginning?

Indeed, the Triarch Stalker scuttles away from its melee with the second squad of Terminators. It unleashes its powerful Death Ray upon them. Yet only a single Space Marine falls.

Unbelievable.

Ioculus and his Honor Guard attack a Necron force in a shanty village on the xenos’ right flank. The elite Astartes slaughter all before them, and the Necrons flee from the battlefield.

Imperial Turn Four

Ioculus and his Honor Guard have routed one Necron unit, but as he looks for a second target of opportunity for his neigh-unstoppable squad, he doesn’t like what he sees.

A massive horde of Necron warriors and Immortals are deployed just outside the shanty town, and the distance is too far away for a charge. So, advancing on the xenos would lead to enemy fire so heavy that it would mean the Space Marines’ doom.

There is no good choice here. Ioculus orders his men to board the Stormraven. They must find a new target elsewhere.

As Ioculus boards the aircraft, the Doomsday Ark crosses the ship’s line of fire. At the same time, a Predator tank arrives from reserve and also targets the hovering xeno tank.

Great destructive forces strike home, yet once again the xenos’ energy shields prove too powerful to penetrate.

Finally, angered at the fall of their comrade, the second squad of Terminators again charges the Stalker. And, again, their best efforts fall short. They simply cannot damage the xeno craft.

Click here to read the conclusion of this battle report.

Click here to return to Part 1.

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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.