The Pilgrims of Rust and the Knights of Decay have launched an assault on the world of Vallidan, a hilly, densely forested planet, with a population numbering close to 1.5 billion, concentrated mostly in its single hive, "Valiposa". It yields timber, and rich coal deposits to the Imperium, along with a low tithe of Imperial Guard regiments. Rust, wants these men and resources for his own growing empire.
Invasion Week 1.
Valladian PDF are beaten back into the wilderness on almost all fronts, save for 14 towns in the Mountain Range known as the Blackenvold.
Invasion Week 2.
Pilgrims launch a massed attack on the central town in the Blackenvold, creating a bluge in the lines of both armies, referred to as "The Gap" . The PDF are able to hold, but suffer 68% casualties as a result, and exhaust almost all ammunition stores. The Blackenvold turns into a massive siege, as Rust orders millions of men and tanks to block off all approaches into the mountain range.
Invasion Week 3.
An Imperial Liberation fleet arrives, and engages the Pilgrims in orbit. As the fleets tear each other to pieces, a strike force from the 4th Company of the Executioners Chapter, deploys via Thunderhawk into "The Gap" to bolster the defenses there. However Anti-Air from the besieging Pilgrims forces back many of the gunships. Those who made it to the ground are scattered further off course than had been expected, all but a single team of Scouts under the command of Sgt. Adrankus.
Invasion Week 4.
Adrankus gathers every man, woman, and child together into a desperate militia regiment to try and hold "The Gap" from any additional advances by the Pilgrims. Other scattered 4th company units move to towns across Blackenvold, and bolster PDF wherever they are needed.
Invasion Week 5.
Action in orbit dies down to a stalemate. Disgusted at his admirals lack of ability, Rust turns to his ground commanders to offer him more victories. Pressured by their High Command, these officers send thousands of men at the "The Gap" to wrestle control from the defenders. The Imperials hold for several hours before the militia flee the town for the protection of the Castels (ancient keeps near the summit of the mountains), leaving Squad Adrankus alone in a sea of heresy.
5 hours later...
Adrankus looked up into the skies out of the roof of the shattered sawmill, he and his squad had been hiding in for the past 30 minutes. The sound of tanks grinding down the street was getting closer and he knew it wouldn't be long until he had to order them to pack up and move again. With communications down there was no way of knowing if the locator beacon was being picked up or even for that matter, if the fleet had been driven from the system by the heretic pilgirms. He glanced back down and was just about to issue the order to move out when above him he heard a piercing whistling sound and saw the dark outline of 4 drop pods screaming in from upper orbit.
The din of entry into the atmosphere of a planet via drop pod was always unpleasant, and this time was no exception. A shrill mechanical voice rang out "10 seconds to impact". Captain Thorgan smiled at the thought of killing these heathens that awaited them, to shy away from the Emperors beneficent light was intolerable to him, and these men would pay in blood for their atrocity of thought. The bone jarring slam of impact scattered his thought for a faction of a second, as the charges blew open the hatch, then with a roar he led his men into the heat of battle.
Adrankus watched the Full-Brothers pour from their drop pods and move to advantageous positions around the sawmill. Looking up into the distance he saw the outlines, not of traitor chimera as he had expected, but of Rhinos adorned with markings of the great enemy, he went cold at the thought of the dark warriors within those transports.
The combat that followed was quick and bloody, the Loyalists were woefully unprepared for the sudden arrival of traitor Astartes, who had up until now not been seen in the invasion forces, dozens of marines were slain by the heavy abundance of plasma weaponry in the traitor assault force.
Thorgan was forced to save his surviving men from the brutal ambush rather than blindly hold the town as a symbol of defiance and die. The marines flee to the Castels, with the Pilgrims hot on their heels
-To be continued- (in battle report form!)
-Your Favorite Madman-
Very nice, the wording of the last bit really provides some evocative imagery.
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