Week three did not go well for the Loyalists.
The Loyalist PDF on Rook attempted an ambush of a Lamenters force escorting a supply column. The column was bringing much needed munitions to the forces engaged in and around Siuol.
It was a near run thing. The Guard put up a hell of a fight.
The Lamneters' Vindicator again was destroyed without managing to cause much damage to the enemy, failing to even vindicate itself from its drubbing last week.
The tactical squad had become more alert to the dangers of template weapons and being in the open, so used the cover of the tanks and the destroyed supply vehicles to move to the flank and make for the escape route.
The land raider disgorged its troops who cut their way through the guard and ultimately managed to escape. Although the Land Raider itself did not. The Lamenters scored points in the game for killing guard and getting models off the table, the Guard scored by killing Lamenters. Ultimately the Lamenters managed to win by 50 pts. A very close game.
The Astral Claws finally confronted the Red Scorpions in the heart of Siuol. A reinforced platoon of the Tyrant's forces were cut off and surrounded by Loyalists forces rushing to take them. They held a building with vital access to the subterranean sewage system and the only still functional control system to the water pumps in the South East of the city.
It needed to be taken so that the Secessionists couldn't outflank the Loyalists by going under them.
The Red Scorpions committed almost half a company of marines to taking the bastion. Even an Eversor assassin joined the attack.
The Loyalists advanced, doing little damage at first, but weathering the counter fire of the Astral Claws well, the only significant damage was the dreadnought losing a power fist.
When the Red Scorpions got into charge range they managed to get two squads into the melee while the scouts hung back to provide some fire support.
The assassin was able to take out the Astral Claws razorback, while the assault marines took the fight to the devastator squad and the tactical squad pinned down their opposites on the South-west corner of the building.
The Dreadnought and command squad advanced slowly through the ruins, firing as they came on.
Reinforcements arrived for the Astral Claws in the form of an assault squad, terminators and a land speeder.
The Secessionists felt that the Northern side of the building was more protected now, launched an attack with their second tactical squad to repel the Red Scorpions coming directly from the South.
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The Terminators arriving in a flash of teleportation energy focused their fire on the assassin, taking him out with a well-placed missile strike.
The Red Scorpions command squad withered under the fire from the Terminators, while the Red Scorpion tactical squad that had been repulsed rallied and charged their assailants. Meanwhile, the assault squad and tactical squad in the building continued to grind away at the rebel forces in the building.
Soon, the Terminators piled into the melee in the building, the weight of their assault caused the momentum to move decidedly in the Astral Claws' favour, the tactical squad almost being wiped out by the power fists of the elite marines.
What was left of the command squad charged in and all of the Red Scorpions rallied for a final assault on the building. The Astral Claws managed to prevent one of the tactical squads from getting in by weight of fire. But weight of numbers told and soon the Astral Claw captain was facing off against his opposite number in the Red Scorpions.
The Dreadnought tried to shoot down the Astral Claw Land Speeder but only succeeded in killing the gunner.
As the Captains approached each other there were no lofty words of condemnation or justification. Their swords spoke more eloquently than the men themselves could ever have done.
Both Captains died, one with his head sliced off, the other with his opponent's power sword buried deep in his chest. With reinforcements from both sides closing on the building, the Red Scorpions had two marines left in the building, with no Astral Claws inside, but the Astral Claws moved their Land Speeder in and the remaining marine managed to contest the structure, allowing an Astral Claws victory if that brought the end of the game.
There would be another turn if the Red Scorpions could roll a 6. They rolled a 5. And so the Astral Claws squeak out a narrow victory, but a second victory for the Secessionists nonetheless.
Final score after week 3.
Secessionists 4500 VP
Loyalists 1500 VP.
With week four being the end of the campaign, and likely only two 1500 pts games next week, the Loyalists would have to win them both to just tie the campaign.
Any other result and Rook will fall back into the Secessionist camp.
28 September 2015, 01:06:49 AM
