Planet: Broute I
System: Nerian
Sector: Ilutonia
Forces Engaged:
The II Regnum Sector Army Corps, comprising the 12th Cadian Airborne Regiment, the 85th Cadian Armoured Regiment, the 6th Cadian Light Infantry Regiment, the 127th Cadian Infantry Regiment, the 4th Company of the Blood Angels, and the 2nd Detachment of the Order of Our Lady of the Martyrs.
Opposing Forces:
Hive Fleet Gamarus
Starting Position:
34.130° W, 185.112° N — The Vol Plain Farmlands
Mission Objective:
Attacker — Expand the Imperial offensive and reclaim the planet.
This marks a first turning point in the campaign for the Helicon Cluster. At the same time as the Necron Dynasties awaken, the Imperial forces of the sector, still struggling to organise themselves against so many threats, are beginning to receive substantial reinforcements.
Alongside the II Army Corps of the Astra Militarum, already deployed on the planet, the Sisters of the Order of Our Lady of the Martyrs enter the battle. Their Battle Sisters advance aboard Rhinos, while squads of Seraphim outflank the enemy lines.
Joining this pincer manoeuvre, planned as part of the offensive, are jump pack assault troops borne into battle by Space Marines clad in black and red armour: the fearsome Death Company of the Blood Angels. They are accompanied by Terminators, Intercessors, and armoured vehicles that reinforce the Imperial Guard.
The Hammer of the Emperor now appears as an unstoppable juggernaut.
But opposite them, Hive Fleet Gamarus has recognised the threat and responded accordingly. From its monstrous swarms emerge countless savage beasts, many larger than Imperial buildings or the battle tanks of the Imperial Guard.
The Tyranids mass shock troops in the form of Genestealers, Leapers, Hormagaunts, and Tyranid Warriors. They are supported by a host of creatures that have already earned a fearsome reputation among the ranks of the Cadians.
The ground trembles beneath the thunder of tank tracks and the heavy footfalls of these nightmarish behemoths.
The battle begins with the titans of the battlefield trading fire: tanks and Dreadnoughts on one side, monstrous Tyranid bioforms on the other. A Tyrannofex is badly wounded by several Imperial hunter-killer missiles, which tear gaping wounds through its massive body. The beast retaliates, however, hurling torrents of corrosive acid across the battlefield. The spray eats into the armour of both a Leman Russ and a Space Marine Predator, wounding several crewmen as molten armour plates burst apart around them.
On the left flank, the Cadian infantry emerges from cover. Concentrated volleys from dozens of lasguns and grenade launchers massacre packs of Gargoyles and Leapers, allowing the Guardsmen to seize an objective and open the way for an advance toward the centre.
It is there that the main Imperial assault develops. Several armoured vehicles advance in formation as psychic blasts, corrosive bio-weapons, and living projectiles crash against their hulls, showering them with debris and earth. Undeterred, the Imperial tanks continue forward together, firing every weapon at their disposal. Supported by the Astra Militarum on their left, they secure the centre of the battlefield, saturating every Tyranid target within range with battle cannon shells and streams of automatic fire, cutting down the swarms threatening the Imperial right flank.
The Sisters lose their Rhino but hold their ground, driving back the Tyranids with disciplined bolter fire and cleansing bursts from their flamers. Bombarded by spore mines, however, the Blood Angels and the Deathwatch are unable to reinforce them in time. The Battle Sisters are charged by monstrous four-armed Genestealers, whose claws and talons tear through the valiant warriors. Their cries echo across the battlefield just before the Blood Angels launch their thunderous counter-charge.
At the same moment, Lictors and other Tyranid creatures seize several objectives, threatening to overrun almost the entire battlefield.
Then the Blood Angels strike.
They smash through everything in their path, hacking the Genestealers apart before driving deep into the Tyranid flank. Zoanthropes, Neurogaunts, Hormagaunts, and Tyranid Warriors are butchered in rapid succession. Chainswords carve a trail of carnage across the plain, while the Deathwatch's flamers cleanse the battlefield, reducing the alien dead to ash.
Victory belongs to the Imperium.
It might even have been decisive. The pincer attack formed by the Sisters' assault troops and the Space Marines had nearly closed around the Tyranids, but by sacrificing several Warrior broods, Hive Fleet Gamarus succeeds in breaking the encirclement. The surviving bioforms withdraw in good order, preserving enough strength to fight another day.
The Imperium advances relentlessly, its banners flying proudly.
Advance: Enemy front broken on Broute I. The Imperium secures nearly one-third of the planet.
Casualties: Light.
Report B: Enemy lines breached. Heavy Tyranid losses inflicted. Hive Fleet in retreat.
Final Result: Imperial Victory. Astra Militarum 34 – 29 Tyranids.
