The air was still aboard the precisely climate-controlled bridge of the Ark Mechanicus' Belator Aux Om, the thrumming modulation of hundreds of cogitators reverberating with the slow and steady heartbeat rhythm of the ships' warp reactor. It was a type of hymn to the crew, a sort of sarkic subliminal mantra which, by rights of its source produced the most pristine serenity of thought, which the host of cybernetic transhumans that lived, worked and died in service aboard this ship felt was a loadstone for the successful completion of their duties. Though for one member of this congregation of metal men, the calming aspect of the ship's mechanisms was proving insufficient to quell an all too human feeling of trepidation and anger. The error-abort code screeched out into the stillness of the chamber, and Drahlikar Thrume Prime Hermeticon of Metallica Exploration Mandate MT045-371 turned from his ministrations at the data lathe and moved on multiple sets of metal limbs over to the communications cradle, and bending forwards to draw his sculpted inhuman face closer to the cogitator screens collating streams of incoming Skitarii Communications from the planet's surface. Submerging his consciousness into the data, Thrume quickly found the source of the Error-Abort, Techpriest Jeremiah Azule, working in the shattered Prime Fabrication complex to dredge the ruined mainframe stacks there for any hint of their prizes location. Going into the backup archives of Azule's Digital Hippocampus, Thrume discovered the tiny hint of useful location data his forces discovered, and carefully picked apart biometric information about his Skitarii, analyzing registered trauma, adrenal response and damage telemetry, all collated by Azule in the lead up to the Error-Abort.
"Locals?" mused Thrume, the feudalistic societies of degenerate mutants, descended of the planets few thousand survivors were rather hostile, but hardly a threat to the faithful of the machine-god. He dug further, finally accessing the squad level communications, and a shot of fear struck him as he saw that hateful word suspended in noosphereic information.
"ASTARTES"
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Its game 2 of our slow growth Mechanicus versus Chaos Marines campaign. We have kept the forces the same from game 1, and we opted to use a newly purchased neoprene gaming mat to explore the Dead Lands outside the primary fabrication complex. Riddled with pipelines, storage containers and hardened bunkers, its sure to be a delightful environment to fight in.
This time around we rolled "The Relic" mission from the main rulebook, with diagonally opposed deployment zones. A fairly straight forward mission, the relic features a single objective placed in the center of the table, that can be picked up and moved by whichever side is in control of it. The winner is the side in control of this relic by the end of the game.
Centurions of Innocence. [500pts]
Daemon Prince [Dark Mechanicum Bio Assault Drone] with Wings, Warp Bolter, and Talisman of Burning Blood.
Chaos Lord with Black Axe of Ul'Occa,
2x Khorne Berzerker Squads, Champion with Power Fist and Plasma Pistol, Marine with Plasma Pistol, and an Icon of Wrath for each squad.
10x Cultists.
Adeptus Mechanicus Skitarii of Metallica Forge World [500pts]
Techpriest Engineseer
Techpriest Manipulus (represented by an Infiltrator Alpha figure)
Sicarian Infiltrators
3x Skitarii Vanguard Squads
Sydonian Dragoons Squadron.
The Centurions deploy amidst the pipeworks, with the characters in cover and the formation led by Khorne Berzerkers.
The Mechanicus, deployed with the vanguard staggered to spread their de-buffing capabilities liberally across the lines, with the Infiltrators bringing up the center, and the Dragoons placed far enough away to dissuade the Daemon Prince from delivering a blow against them before they've gotten a chance to get stuck-in.
Of course, I only realized the bait after I was on the hook, with the Prince smashing into the Infiltrators and killing the squad, only to be himself crippled by the fearsome counter-assault of the Dragoons.
The rest of the Centurions move up the center.
The proud Skitarii of Metallica, consolidate ready to receive the Khornate charge
With the air rippling with rad-waves, and tormented by the roar of chainswords the battle lines crashed together
But sadly for the scions of the Machine God, the fight twice rules for Berzerkers are ruthless in close combat.
The Cultists secure the Relic as the rest of the Centurions force charges into the Dragoons
As the dust settles, the last Dragoons falls to the blades of the Chaos Lord and the Berzerkers, leaving the game a victory for the forces of Chaos.
-Your Favorite Madman-
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