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Escalation - Prologue
? ? The rain hammered down, drumming a steady, almost maddening, beat on the reinforced plasticrete of the bunker and the peals of thunder outside sounded out like the guns of the Emperor's greatest army. ?Lieutenant Milos Harmes knew that the sun should be shining outside, the rainy season was still a month away, but someone had set the clocks ahead. ?Well, maybe some thing had? though he hated to think that the xenos creatures that had built their nests in the valleys north of the Taakanar Ridge could affect the weather in this way. ?The thought of fighting an enemy that could do something that? unnatural, disturbed him deeply. ?Perhaps it was only coincidence. ?
? ? The Nomad Marines' strikes against the infesting aliens had slowed the creatures' advance somewhat, but it hadn't stopped them. ?Colonel Smyke had ordered an armoured cordon to be placed around the valleys in an attempt to contain the threat so servitors and automated manufacturing units had constructed a defensive line of trenches, bunkers, pillboxes and razorwire. Now Harmes, his men, and many other platoons held the positions, kilometres and kilometres of them, waiting for the invaders to make another move. ?
? ? He knew he was ready for whatever the aliens could throw at him; around him was the might of the Imperial Guard: tanks, cannons, and soldiers ready to kill and die for the Emperor, but, still, it was frustrating to have to wait for the enemy to make the first move and to have no idea what it would be. ?The atmospheric disturbances had made orbital auguries imprecise and no surveillance aircraft had returned from any mission into the valleys to report on the xenos's activities. ?What were the damn things waiting for?
? ? ?Feeling the need to stretch his legs, the Lieutenant put on his rain hood and stepped out into the downpour. ?Flashes of lightning illuminated the land around him; he could see the wind-whipped trees on the Ridge and the muddy torn-up farmland below. ?No crops would be harvested from those fields. ?He walked past some of his men, snapped back their salutes and made his way to the entrenched Hellhounds, their engines idling and the stench of promethium thick in the air despite the wind. ?As he approached the flame tanks a gust of wind nearly tipped him over and he momentarily braced himself against the side of one of the rumbling tanks before quickly withdrawing his hand in disgust. ?He'd touched something? soft.
? ? Something dark and velvety was? growing, on the armoured plates of the Hellhound, small patches slowly peeling away the paint and corroding the metal beneath. ?Even through his glove, Harmes had felt a horrible warmth emanating from the substance, a malignant heat that nearly turned his stomach. ?It was something in the rain, something the xenos had put in the rain? and it was falling everywhere. ?He felt his gorge rising, but a brilliant flash of lightning drew his attention to something even more horrible; hideous creatures were moving through the trees, coming closer. ?He ran for the bunker.
? ? "Captain, they're coming, they're coming!"
? ? ?Something moved with a terrible fluid grace near the bunker, something taller than a man, something with far too many limbs and joints. ?Harmes froze as he felt himself caught by its strange, speckled eyes. ?For a moment the thing froze as well, but then it shifted away into the darkened rain, leaving him behind as if he was too small a threat to be dealt with.
? ? They were here?
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Even with the support of Company 3, no damage is done to the Bio-Titan. Russes are crushed like cans, crews abandon their tanks, and only the Commissar in his Vanquisher retains his wits to fall back away from the horror in the rain. (WOOT! ?That may be the first time a Bio-titan of mine has survived to do *anything*, let alone trash nine Leman Russ!)
It is a complete debacle? for the Tyranids as, overall, they lose 2 Gargoyles, 3 Hormagants, 3 Raveners and 3 Termagants while managing to kill a single, yes, A SINGLE, Guardsman stand! ?The Tyranids are soundly repulsed. (That 4+ Fortification save is awesome for Guard!)
Overwatch fire kills another Gargoyle, 2 Hormagaunts and an incredible 4 Raveners. ?The Guardsmen fight like daemons (My opponent rolled 3 "6"s for the CC attacks of based guardsmen, and I, of course, failed my saves!) and again repulse the Tyranids who lose a Biovore, 2 Hormagaunts, 2 Raveners, and 6 Termagants!