The Skitarii advanced on multiple fronts: On the left, four Skitarii advanced on the central market. In the center, the Sicaran Infiltrator successfully seized a data storage pod. On the right, Alpha Zhu Ω5-Decarote advanced down a street to disrupt the left flank of the Necron attackers.

Continued from Part 1 . . .

One pod secured

Alpha Zhu Ω5-Decarote and his fire team of Skitarii advance on the Necron left flank, seeking to distract the xenos from pursuing the Infiltrator and also to prevent them from supporting the fight under way in the central market.

At the residence, the Infiltrator managed to secure the first pod, but his escape was cut off by two Necrons that entered the central courtyard and brought the Sicaran warrior under fire.

After firing one shot of his flechette blaster, and computing the declining chances of success against two warriors with gauss flayers, the Infiltrator decided to risk jumping from the second level of the building into the street below. He made the leap, damaging one leg, but dropping only meters away from me.

I ordered the Infiltrator to withdraw, while I led my fire team forward to attack the Necron warriors around the corner. I could not allow them to pursue the Infiltrator with our prize, and my attack also prevented them from pursuing a second option: reinforcing the Necrons in the central market and seizing that pod.

I advanced with three Skitarri, and their galvanic rifles quickly pinned down the xenos. One cybernetic warrior fell with a wound to the head and, as was the nature of these mysterious cybernetics, the body disappeared in a flash of light.

Four Skitarii advance down an alley to the hab block’s central market, where sensors indicated one of the data-storage pods had crashed.

Fight in central market

The four Skitarii in the alley broke into two groups: Two rushed the crater where the second pod rested, while the other two used what cover was available to attempt to pin down the Necron warriors positioned to shoot.

As the first two Skitarri reached the crater, one was downed by a gauss flayer, and the second was challenged by the Lychguard that dropped down from the Level 2 patio. The surviving Skitarii warrior attempted a point-blank shot, but the Lychguard raised its dispersion shield and deflected the deadly bullet.

What followed was disaster. The Lychguard moved with astonishing speed, sweeping out with its hyperphase sword and slicing the Skitarii in half. The two Skitarii in the alley turned their fire toward the Lychguard, but he hid behind his dispersion shield while the other Necron warriors, including three on an upper balcony unleashed a hail of fire that, in only 14 seconds, downed both Skitarri.

Necrons take up position atop a roof that gives them a clear line of fire at anyone entering the central market. The fire of their powerful weapons, along with the intervention of a deadly Lychguard close-combat warrior, led to the destruction of the entire Skitarii fire team.

Withdrawal

Assessing the situation, it was clear that casualties were high, and my squad was now grossly outnumbered. Although I had an advantage over the Necrons to my front, the xenos in the central market now could reinforce the warriors facing me. I had no means to reach the pod in the central market, or the third pod that auspices finally revealed was behind the Necrons’ position.

Indeed, there was  a 87.43 percent likelihood that continued fighting would result in my squad’s complete destruction and allow the Necrons to capture the pod now in our possession.

The logical choice was clear. I ordered a withdrawal. The Necrons did not give pursuit, seemingly content with the two pods under their control.

++ END REPORT ++

TheGM: Not much to say about this fight. It was fun. The Skitarii had a bit of bad luck. Their dice rolls were sub-par, and a few quirks of the terrain gave the Necrons a slight advantage in reaching the objectives and in deploying a good cross fire.

Such is the capricious nature of war.

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.