c



El Quixo gazed through the forest canopy, eager to get a glimpse of his new foe. The gue͛la were bad
enough, but his pathfinders had reported back that the enemy comprised an armoured advance, and El
Quixo had only been able to requisition one broadside, Antoch, who was encamped in a camouflaged
bunker deep in the forest. ͞These heavy gue͛la worry me͟ Quixo murmured to his personal log. ͞This fire
fight will be brief and the blood of Tau and Kroot alike is sure to be spilt, but we must make the
machines of man stop in their tracks͙͟

Mission ʹ Annihilation

Deployment ʹ Spearhead

Before the battle is joined

Y
The dark angels chaplain commander deployed all his forces ready to advance in turn one. El quixo
reacted by infiltrating both a unit of kroot and pathfinders deep in the forest, hoping to harry a tactical
unit, and a second group of kroot attempted to outflank. The other Tau units adopted covered positions
in preparation. The dakka pred stayed well back to the rear of the table however angels dreadnoughts,
razorback, rhino and jump troops, lead by chaplain narcissus, were deployed as far forward as possible.

Turn1

In the first turn all dark angels units advanced en masse towards the main Tau gunline. Chaplain
Narcissus, seein g the devastation pathfinder-guided firepower could wreak in his minds eye,
concentrated dreadnought and tank fire on the Tau scouts. The pathfinders, dispite their being in cover,
were massacred, the surviving troops fleeing the battle.

The Tau reacted quickly, missile pod shots raining into dreadnought Delphius. The missiles slammed
home, and cheers sounded on the Tau comm. Link as the dreadnought was reduced to mere smoke͙.
But no! Brother Delphius emerged, unscarred, unfazed! Antoch had had enough of this. Without his
comrade Moroc to distract him from his target crosshairs, the keen eyed Kroot pilot scored a driect hit
on the Razorback drive system, reducing the armour to mere ruin. The tactical squad disembarked and
had to take cover from flying shrapnel (pinned). The Kroot in the woods decided to snipe at the space
marines standing atop church ruins, with one true shot impaling an emperors chamption. The crisis suits
jet packed into cover to await the marine response

KP SM 1 ʹ Tau 1

Turn 2

The dreadnoughts moved relentlessly, tirelessly forwards, Phileas, crunching ancient trees beneath
their metallic bulk, the earth shaking as they advanced. The Marine Rhino, carrying a full squad, rolled
through the treeline and as it ground to a halt, the emperors chosen leapt out, spraying bolter and
plasma fire. Several shots punched through crisis suit armour, and two shield drones were destroyed by
plasma gun shots. On the other flank, the dakka pred punched out shot after shot, the even the Kroot in
their natural element could not emerge unscathed from such an assault. Several hounds and Kroot
were slain by this onslaught. The assault squad lead by Narcissus, landed in the trees nearby the crisis
team. Despite one warrior flying into a solid bough, the assault team were close enough to assault El
Quixo and his unit. Blows flew back and forth, and two of El Quixos most trusted Shas͛uis lay, lifeless
shells, afterward. However El Quixo would not retreat, and fought on!

This was time to make the shots count! But Antoch, seeing so many of his comrades fall, could not
steady himself and missed his railgun shot on the Rhino! The outflanking Kroot appeared on the same
flank and immediately disappeared into the foliage nearby. The fire from the ion hammerhead was way
off target, mislead by electromnagnatic decoys. The devilfish transport swooped low toward the
wrecked raxorback, but its smart missiles did not harm the disembarked space marines.
 Y

KP SM 2 ʹ Tau 1
Turn 3

The tactical squad, plasma gun only slightly cooling, saddled back up into their Rhino, which moved to
threaten the Kroot. Preadator shells continued to take their toll on the hidden Kroot, who went to
ground. Dreadnought Phileas, powering up his Multimelta, strode forward and took aim at the Ion
cannon turret, instantaneously melting it and the unfortunate gunner. El Quixo swung his servo-assisted
bulk at the chaplain, the space marine at his own height despite EL Quixos exo armour. Narcissus parried
the clumsy, robotic blows and cruelly stabbed El Quixos chest, like a rapier. The Tau leader fell.

Things were unraveling very badly at this stage, so bold action was needed to preserve this proudly
preserved Tau battle line. Firstly, the Devlifish pilot was give the order to close range with the tactical
squad with the aim of annihilating the unit. As the fire warriors loosed rapid fire on the marines, three
stood standing, the shots raining off their armour. The hammerhead, shorn of its ion cannon, attemped
to engage Dephius͛ rear armour but failed to penetrate.

The Kroot in the main battle area rapid fired the assault squad and killed all but Chaplain commander
Narcissus, who rose, like a hellish resurrected demon from the carnage. Antoch started rhyming off Tau
political leaders since antiquity, his green targeting runes glowing over the rhino as he did so. A huge
explosion followed!

KP SM 3 ʹ Tau 3
Turn 4

The dark angel net tightened around the Tau. Delphius annihilated the fire warriors with flames with his
incinerators, while his colleague of over a century, Phileas, assaulted and immobilized the Hammerhead,
puncturing its inverse-gravity unit. The remenants of the right flank tactical unit closed range and let rip
against the devilfish, the melta gunner noting with surprise the thermal properties of Tau materials in
liquid form.

Narcissus assaulted broadside Antoch, while the Kroot felt the pain of rapid fire marine bolted from the
unscratched tactical squad. The Kroot ran to fight another day, while nobody had told Antoch the script.
He grabbed the already wounded Narcissus, who for a moment glimpsed his reflection on the
broadsides pilot canopy. Seconds later his helmet was crushed beneath the leg servos of Antoch!
Forgetting his Tau conditioning for a moment, he bellowed to his ancient gods and opened his helmet,
devouring Narcissus!

Antoch, recovering his composure, observed the rear armour of Delphius, and noted the critical systems
his in-flight system suggested as prime target. He took this advice, and Delphius was sent to guard the
proverbial emperors throne.
KP SM 5 ʹ Tau 5
It seemed unlikely that that the battle had been so close, with many more casualties on the Tau side
than marine, however close it indeed still was. The marines obliterated the remaining Kroot at the main
gunline area, and Phileas finally ripped open the hammerhead and watched its terrified gunners and
pilot flee, only to be blown away to join Delphius by broadside Antoch, who despite the defeat lived to
fight another day, as he switched his broadside to stealth mode and started tracking his kroot colleagues
who had sensibly decided on Full Tactical Withdrawal.

KP SM 7 ʹ Tau 6

Dark angels victory

Epilogue

TBD