We were spread out along the whole line when they hit us. The Tiger Eyes came on fast and it was all we could do to start to redeploy before they broke through.
As our Warbringer moved at flank speed towards where the dirty yellow titans were coming towards our line I was waiting for the flashes of light that would precede the booming sounds that would echo over the battlefield. I clung onto the top rail as we moved and saw the strangest sight that I've ever encountered during enginewar. One of the enemy Warhounds, picked up speed as it was heading towards our line, but then it staggered, its weapon arms crossed over the torso armour. The titan took three steps to its left before losing balance and careening backwards.
I saw not one shot fired to that point, even the ranging fire had not happened yet. After the battle it was confirmed that the engine had just given out, there was no damage that would indicate that the titan had been hit.
Even down one machine Furreans hit us hard. I could see our elements in that part of the line contract under the impact. One of the Warhounds was lost almost right away to a charge from a unit of their knights, the other fell, bathed in plasma after its shields were stripped away by bolter fire.
The
Ne Plus Ultra took a pounding from the Reaver after Warhounds took its shields down. The knights assigned to that section disappeared in a fusillade from the Warlord.
The
Ne Plus Ultra fell back still fighting as the Tiger Eyes swarmed over the first line of defenses. We could hear the tech priests manning the magna-poppers canting about scrapcode as the enemy knights moved over the line. After we removed the mines as a whole and lifted them off planet to be left to float into the system's star. They were unrecoverable and the scrapcode they had been infected with was so malignant that we were afraid it would infect anything else it was brought into contact with.
They were still advancing as our forces managed to get in between them and the defensive towers.
This is where we held them. Although they battered the reinforcements severely and we lost another Reaver and our Warlord was left effectively crippled, we held them.
They were never able to get to any of the defense towers and spew their cancer into the cogitators.
The lead elements were wiped out just as they were making the attempt. Our knights charged up towards the enemy. With just their two heavier titans left the battlefield became more of a shooting gallery and weight of numbers told as more forces arrived to the battlefield.
The remaining two Tiger Eyes were brought down in a hail of volcano cannon fire.
Had they over run the towers an aerial assault may have been possible on the stabilizers and then the whole of the Agruss would have been rendered useless at best. It was a valiant attempt and though I hate the traitors for their betrayal I can't help but admire the courage and audacity of this maniple of Tiger Eyes.