It took only minutes for three Ogryns to destroy an entire mob of mutant rebels in one ruined building.

“When fighting rabble, the proper tactic is to attack. Untrained troops, no matter how determined, cannot withstand a good bayonet charge.”—Colonel Said Akhrif of the 23rd PDF Regiment (Mechanized)

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Continued from Part 1 . . .

Counterattack

One PDF squad in the middle of the convoy was caught in the open when a mob of mutants arose from the sand and attacked from the south. Although the initial mutant volley jkilled two troopers, the squad returned fire and, with support fire from a Chimera armed with a multi-laser, the mutants were driven away with heavy casualties.

To the north, the convoy’s only operating Sentinel was trading fire with three mutant walkers, cobbled-together constructs that proved well-armed with a variety of weapons, including a lascannon, heavy flamer, and autocannon.

Imperial strategists worry that if the people of Pyros ally with Ungolath, the rebels will control sizable territory and the planetary government will not be able to contain the rebellion militarily.

As these forces engaged in a ferocious firefight, a Taurox—carrying three Ogryns—raced through the exchanging shells toward another ruin where yet another mob of mutants were firing.

The Taurox weathered the firefight, reached the ruins, and screeched to a halt. The gigantic abhumans stumbled out of a side hatch, fired a volley of their ripper guns, and charged.

The mutants were soon a puddle of blood and gore on the ground.

A sizable force of Atalan Jackals have been whittled down in numbers by a counterattack of PDF troopers in the rear of the convoy. These three rebels barely managed to escape from the Imperial retribution.

Reinforcements

At this point, a mob of motorcycle-riding mutants [Classification: Atalan Jackals] roared over the sand dunes in an attempt to hit the rear of the column. By this point of the battle, however, the mutants to the south had fled, and the rear Chimera and the still-effective PDF squad turned their weapons against this new threat.

The hail of fire that greeted the rebels convinced the mutants to turn north and get into the cover of several abandoned shanties. It was a temporary reprieve, as the Chimera gunned its motor and gave chase.

At this point, the Jackals turned to face the Chimera. The transport braked to a halt, and what disembarked was an elite squad armed with multiple flamers. The Jackals were unprepared for such an onslaught, and all but three were killed by flaming promethium.

The last major casualty of the battle was the destruction of one of the mutant’s cobbled-together walkers.

Victory and Questions

At this point, Brennus said, the battle had been raging for only 20 minutes, but as mutant casualties rose dramatically, the rebels fled. Imperial casualties were four dead, eight wounded, and the loss of one Sentinel (its driver survived without serious injury).

After regrouping, the convoy continued on its way and reached the outer wall of the hive city without further incident.

Asked about the convoy’s mission, Brennus sidestepped the question during the news conference. But it is no secret that there is a growing rebel presence in the city ruins, with mutants engaging in a mix of charitable work and intense propaganda efforts in a bid to win public support for their cause.

It’s possible that the convoy is a reconnaissance mission to determine whether the Council of Electors should invest in a larger official presence (particularly a military presence) in the city, if only to prevent Pyros from turning into another mutant stronghold.

Click here to return to Part 1 of this battle report.

TheGM: Nice to get back to Morkai and the hit-and-run tactics of my mutants (which I run using Genestealer Cult rules).

My use of Cult Ambush rules (7th Edition) didn’t work so well—I rolled low and never managed to get a good result. Still, I was surprised at how easily the PDF took out the mutant force.

This attack fits the narrative. Morkai’s  ruling Council of Electors are well aware that the mutants are trying to “win over” the populace of Pron, and they’re hoping a military presence in the city will make a difference.

We’ll see. A military presence isn’t as influential as the food and security help the mutants are providing, and the populace has not forgotten that the Electors have ignored the wretched condition of the collapsed hive city for centuries. Only now, when worried about rebellion, is the planetary government paying any attention to them—and what does it send? Troops.

As previous articles have noted, the Grant Electors aren’t exactly the most enlightened planetary leaders. We’ll see how their clumsy efforts to stymie the mutants will work.

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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.