Strike Force Steel Thunder vs. Kalderian Tomb World (Necrons) [Mark VH]
1000 Points Annihilation. Deployment: Pitched Battle+++REDACTED BY THE INQUISITION+++
On the planet of Greavalex in the Havaria Subsector, Captain Octavius Glabius, newly appointed to the Lamenters 5th company brought back another small scout force to investigate increased troop movements of reported greenskin incursions in the sector.
What they didn’t expect to find was yet another force. As they moved into the region of a torn and damaged industrial district, sensor readings indicated increased EMF emissions. +++REDACTED BY THE INQUISITION+++ These readings became evident as a large structure appeared, and from it, beings of steel death emerged from its eerie glowing green lights.
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….Assembled his strike teams to counter this new threat. Captain Octavius Glabius ordered a scout strike team to outflank the new threat. As Sgt. Runat led his team around the Western flank, two tactical squads in Rhino transports prepared to engage the enemy forces. It was clearly evident that these new forces were not friendly.
Tactical squad Lamda consisting of Lamenters from the 5th company rolled North East. Tactical squad Epsilon consisting of a squad of Salamander Marines from the 6th company took position along the North West. The Salamander Whilwind “Hailfire” Took up position in the South East by Captain Octavius Glabius. Joining them was the Dreadnought, Honorable-Brother Va’Deez of the Salamander’s 6th company. In a 4 story ruined structure in the Southwest, Sgt Vidikas took a team of Lamenter scout snipers and a missle launcher into firing position.
Space Marine turn 1: Marines moved troops. Lamenters Rhino with Tactical squad Lamda rolled forth along the Eastern flank taking position behind a power converter structure. Honorable-Brother Val’Deez strode forward, hoping to bring his Multi-melta to bear upon the Monolithic structure that loomed before him. The white-hot rays from his weapon dissipated harmlessly around the pyramid-like machine.
Salamander Tactical squad moved north along the Western flank and the Rhino popped off its smoke launchers. Scout snipers gunned down a destroyer, only to see it repair itself with a “We’ll Be Back” (WBB) roll.
Necron Turn 1: Moving troops forward, the Necrons moved into position to fire at the Space Marines. As fate would have it, the large Monolith failed it’s dangerous terrain roll and got wedged between two of the structures as it was too big to move through the ruined buildings in the town square.
All necron weapons were stopped by cover and/or smoke launchers by the Space Marines. Scout snipers dug deep into cover, their camo-cloaks providing ample cover.
Space Marine turn 2: The Hailfire opened up with a massive salvo from its missle launchers, raining down pain on a collective group of Necron warriors. Out of 9 hits, all of them were either saved, or later regenerated by WBB rolls.
Much of the Space Marine fire was ineffective this turn, but Honorable-Brother Val’Deez rumbled through some rough terrain around a central structure and was able to bring his dreadnought close combat weapon to bear onto the immobile Monolith. He started to rip off some type of pintle mounted weaponry, weakening the structures attacks.
Necron turn 2: Concentrated fire from the Monolith and Necron warriors managed to stun the dreadnought and damage the leg-servos of Honorable-Brother Val’Deez. The remaining squad of Necron Warriors and Destroyers brought their weapons to bear upon the Salamander Rhino arriving on the Western flank. Eventually the vehicle was destroyed by heavy gauss fire, but tactical squad Epsilon managed to disembark their vehicle without any trouble.
Space Marine turn 3: This turn started to prove promising for the combined Lamenter and Salamander teams. Sgt. Runat and his assault scouts arrived on the West in their Land Speeder Storm. Laying down a heavy round of fire from the Heavy Bolter and their bolt pistols and the combined fire from the snipers and Salamander tactical squad, several Necron warriors were gunned down. Those units would then combine their efforts and assault the Necrons, hoping to see them off all together. Sgt Kal’Dey of the Salamanders scored a damaging hit upon the Necron lord with his powerfist.
On the Eastern flank, The Lamenter’s Rhino advanced under cover of smoke and unleashed tactical squad Lamda, who took their weapons to the Necrons. Honorable-Brother Val’Deez, his legs motionless, started to scale the side of the Necron Monolith, attempting to rip weaponry off as he made his ascent.
Necron turn 3: Seeing their forces being pulled down, the Necron troops recycled and stood back up, combining their attacks with their lord and eventually gunned down the Salamanders with combined fire from the Monolith and the Destroyers. This left Sgt Runat and just 2 men from his squad all alone facing a fully regenerated band of Necrons and a squad of 5 destroyers.
The Lamenters and Necrons were locked in a tough assault that kept seeing each squad whittle each other down.
Space Marine turn 4: Seeing the Necron warriors collected together, the Hailfire unleashed hell, blasting the entire squad with the Necron Lord and wounding 9 out of 11 of them with missle fire. The Necrons somehow managed to save 8 of the 9 wounds!
In an act of desperation, Sgt. Runat led his squad into a foolish assault and tried to hold the Necron Lord up long enough for help to arrive. It was a folly as they were cut down, but not before the Sgt took down one more Necron warrior with him.
The Lamenters were still engaged with the Necrons and Captain Octavius now embarked upon the Lamenter Rhino and moved forward hoping to either support his men or pull some of them back. As he did such, Honorable-Brother Val’Deez in his armored sarcophogas, continued to scale the side of the Monolith, pulling off more Necron weaponry as he climbed to the top where the crystal lay.
Necron turn 4: The Necrons continued to take the fight to the Space Marines. The Necron Lord used the power of the Monolith to pull his squad back through and they warped to the other side of the Monolith, bringing their troops to attack the Lamenters who were starting to win their fight with the other Necron squad.
The Destroyers took out the Land Speeder Storm, immobilizing it and now surged forward to engage targets of the sniper squad hunkered down in the tall building. So far, the Space Marines were down a 5-man squad of snipers, a Rhino, and a full tactical squad and now a Land Speeder Storm.
Space Marine turn 5: Realizing that this foe was not going to be able to be stopped, Captain Octavious had urged his driver to surge forward and get near the fallen men of Lamda squad . He was able to pull a few of them to safety, grievously wounded as they were, and attempt to escape the implacable foe.
The Whirlwind combined fire with the scouts and finally obliterated 2 of the destroyers. The Salamander Dreadnought, Honorable-Brother Val’Deez finally made his ascent and with his dreadnought close combat weapon, smashed the glowing green crystal atop the Necron Monlith, effectively wrecking it.
Necron turn 5: With the Space marine captain out of his Rhino and collecting men, The destroyers had turned their guns to the Rhino. They managed to wreck the Lamenter Rhino. With their great Monolith destroyed, the Necron squads finished off what was left of the Lamenters squad Lamda, and reacted negatively to their loss of the strange machine. The two squads engaged in the assault finished it off, taking down the last of Lamda squad.
End Game:
Game ended on turn 5. Going by the rule book (broken!), Necrons won this Annihilation mission 5-1. Going by Victory Points, they won 535-235. The unbelievable amount of armor and WBB saves that Mark made for his Necrons was nothing short of miraculous. He must have made 90% of his save rolls. I’ve never seen anything like it. In the end, I did get a moral victory with the destruction of the Monolith, as I’ve never wrecked one before , and this is only my 3rd time facing Necrons.
Post game fluff:Captain Octavius was able to pull some of his men to safety. The destruction of the Monolith caused enough mayhem, disrupting enemy forces to allow him to gather some of his wounded men to safety. The Sniper team and Whirlwind provided covering fire. Sgt. Kal’Dey was dead, but thankfully with the distractions to the Necron forces, his body and most of his squad was able to be recovered for extraction of their progeniod glands. Some of his squad will survive their wounds.
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The losses were high for the Space Marines, but the destruction of the Monlith was a moral victory. Reinforcements are on their way, as a new threat has appeared on Greavalxx in subsector: Havaria.
