The research outpost Eavos Col was one of the few loyalist sites left to the Mechanicum in the Enola system. Bitter fighting had taken all of the planets and now the traitors advanced on this last bastion of the troubled Imperium in force.
Legio Mortis had very specific instructions from the Warmaster. The base was to be obliterated and left uninhabitable. The destruction needed to happen quickly as the system had already required more than the allotted amount of resources and time.
Two Warlord titans lead the force, their objective was to destroy the support stations at the heart of the scattered research facility. A detachment of Death Guard space marines came along behind them as infantry support and to clear out any of the outer facilities that might cause a problem.
The temperature of the planet required massive heating systems to keep the facilities of a bearable warmth even for the mechanicum. Shutting these down, as well as destroying the voidshield generators would allow for the destruction of the facility by either exposure or orbital bombardment.
A ragged maniple of War Griffons had fallen back from defeat after defeat and now made their last stand here. Enemy ships were already too thick to make a reliable escape so they decided to die defending the last outpost. The five titans were a resource that would have been put to a better use elsewhere, but elsewhere was closed off for now.
The opening salvos of the battle fell upon the center of the loyalist line and the Reaver titan Redoubt was savaged, quickly losing its void shields and suffering heavy internal damage.
The Redoubt fired back with its only functional weapon, a warp missile, which struck the enemy Warlord Unending Torment despite the latter having a full compliment of void shields in place.
It was the last action the Redoubt would make, a shot from the Death's Head reaver Unquenchable shut down the loyalist plasma reactor leaving the crew alive and entombed in their god engine, desperate spectators to the events unfolding in front of them.
On the Loyalist right flank two Reavers faced off against a warhound and the Unending Torment.
With its shields battered down by the furious fire of the Warhound the reaver fell victim to punishing fire from the plasma annihilator of the Torment. The machine wrenched wildly as it tried to advance, its right leg shattered and melted. The servitors tried to bring systems back online but they were too slow and another punishing shot from the Torment ripped its leg from its body, the body falling and impaling itself on the detached limb.
The resultant explosion shattered glass in the main imperial building and damaged both the enemy warhound and the loyalist reaver nearby.
On the loyalist's left flank a lance of brave Questoris knights advanced backed up by a reaver against the might of the Warlord Stellarhowl and a warhound. The knights weathered the plasma fusillades of the warhound and the Warlord was busy engaging the War Griffon's warlord. The Warhound backed up as the knights advanced. It was bad timing as the Stellarhowl's shield's collapsed at that moment. Sensing more important prey the knights turned their attention to the traitor Warlord. Already damaged from a battering from the enemy titan the Warlord's re-collapsed void shields were the ultimate opportunity.
Battle cannon fired stitched across the Stellarhow's torso, ripping away at vital machinery where the armour had already been shredded.
Finally one round went home and crippled the God-engine. It had some measure of vengeance in its death, crushing two of the knights that had laid it low. But it was a fowl exchange for the traitors, two knights for one Warlord.
At this point the traitors were in a tough spot. They were running out of time and only two of the target buildings had even been damaged and only one of those seriously. They were down one of their warlords and it was the more heavily armed of the two. The loyalists had already lost two titans but their warlord, while battered, still stood.
The Unending Torment fired on the War Griffon machine. Its plasma annihilator struck true. The metal of the center of the warlord melted away in a torrent as the plasma blast ate through it finally finding its way to the heart of the God-engine.
The added heat was too much for the control systems on the device.
The crew of the Redoubt could see the increasing temperature of their comrade's vehicle through the noosphere though they could not see the titan itself in their crippled Reaver.
The explosion could be seen from space.
Pieces of the titan were hurled over a huge area as the plasma engine detonated, the massive volcano cannons on both arms blew up with as much force shredding the area around them and leaving burning wreckage scattered.
As sensors adjusted from the bight flash it was apparent to the traitors that their mission was almost accomplished. Only two of the enemy titans now stood and four of the buildings were ruins and several burning ruins at that.
The Stellarhowl punched his fist through the Imperial building in front of it. Layers of the building collapsed as the massive clawed hand ripped away the structure. Another sweep of the energy clad limb left more devastation in its wake.
The traitor engines started to back away with the loyalists too weak to follow up on their retreat. Eavos Col was as good as a grave world.
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April 20, 2024, 09:10:00 AM
