A Battle Report Story

[Vexicus]

Hail Brothers & Sisters,

 

A friend and I played a game of 40k over vassal last week and we decided to write a battle report about it in the form of a short story. This was a game of kill team Blood Angels vs Tau.

 

 

Epilogue of the Planet YU'sei - Discovery

 

A call for help by a scouting squad of Pathfinder Shas'ui, found that the

city of YU'sei wasn't as deserted as the reports suggested. A small

strike force was dispatched to gather more intel and to provide

assistance regarding the Pathfinder request for back up. Traversing the

wind-swept landscape proved difficult for the suits of the Tau making the

backup progress to the area where the signal was sent out slower.

The Crisis Battlesuits lead the front, when in the distance the out line

of a Dreadnought could be seen and around it 5 small men. Analyzing the

shapes in the distance the Tau force realized that these were not the

foreboding Space Marines that the Fire Warriors where used to, but 5 men

clad in thinner armour, carrying more elegant weapons.

The Fire Warriors knowing that they too had been spotted decided to take

up a position where they could utilize cover, this came in the form of an

abandoned warehouse. The Space Marine team seemed vigilant and

disciplined in their ranks and formations, the Scouts took up vantage

points in a ruined building and started loading up their Sniper Rifles

and began to scan the battle field from afar. In the mean time the

Dreadnought began to make his way toward the entrenched Tau.

 

Taking advantage of the line of sight behind the warehouse, the Tau

deployed some countermeasures within their formation where they could not

be seen by the enemy. Both sides advanced cautiously, both trying to gain

the advantage of first blood. As the armoured war-machines closened, the

Dreadnaught realized his situation, that he could not see any Tau enemy

nearby but the Tau undoubtedly saw his location in the open spaces

between the buildings. As he made his way towards the nearby wooden huts,

he noticed the Tau Crisis Suit L.E.D's catch the light. The Dreadnaught

turned his front armor towards the threat, but he couldn't react. The

first shots where fired by the Tau.

 

The Crisis Suit on the left flank fired its Fusion Blaster, hitting the

thick armor of the Dreadnaught, the suit moved through the impact from

the melta weapon, but immersed from the smoke unharmed. The snipers

positioned in the ruined building caught sight of its Dreadnaught being

caught under fire, they immediately focused on the warehouse and nearby

huts not knowing what army size lay beyond the warehouse. As a last

resort the Crisis suit fired its Missile Pods at the massive Dreadnought

before it could react, but both shots bounced off the seemingly

impenetrable armour of the mighty walker.

 

The Shas'ui in command ordered that the second Crisis Suit advance beyond

the cover on the right flank and open fire at the scouts. As it fired its

Missile Pods the front-most scout noticed the rockets exit the suits

launcher, the cover of the building proved too much for the suits

weaponry and the Scouts safely saw the missiles impact a nearby wall,

crumbling it more than it was.

 

In response, the Dreadnought took a gap in the suits firing pressure and

fired its under slung Melta Gun at the Crisis Suit and vaporized the suit

and pilot in one shot. The scouts too returning fire at their target

applied pressure to the right-flanking suit. Despite the range being

ample, the scouts bullets were unable to land a telling blow to the agile

Battle Suit.

 

With one of his support suits now gone the Shas'ui was forced to rethink

his strategy. Realizing the closer threat, the suit turned its attention

to the Dreadnaught and engaged it himself, leaving the squad of Fire

Warrior Shas'la and Shas'ui safely behind cover. The remaining suit took

up a better position behind the remains of a building giving him some

cover as not to befall the same fate as his comrade. After steadying

himself the pilot opened fire with all he had. The missiles proved

effective and managed to momentarily disable the dreadnought.

 

Upon hearing this the Shas'ui moved his Fire Warriors out from their

cover and began advancing on the Scouts, taking use of the building that

the previous suits missile pod hit. As fire rained down from the scouts

the Sergent, realizing that the remaining Crisis suit provided a bigger

threat than the advancing Fire Warriors, ordered that the scouts focus

fire down the Crisis suit.

 

As the Fire Warriors passed the suit, the pilot then began moving into

the disabled Dreadnought to take full advantage of its close range fire

power. Proving to be a perfect tactical move, the fusion blaster fired

ripping the right arm from the dreadnought, taking the Blood Talon and

Melta Gun with it and the missiles again managing to keep the dreadnought

powered down. The lack of returning fire from the dreadnaught concerned

the scouting unit and upon seeing the their honorable brother was

vulnerable, the scouts continued to fire on the crisis suit, who had now

advanced from the safety of cover. The shots landed 2 solid hits to the

suit, the first sending the pilot realizing and the second sending him to

his grave. Seeing his final suit lost Shas'ui again elected to change

tactics in the hope that eliminating the scouts would move the space

marines into a tactical retreat.

 

Using his markerlight to illuminate one of the scouts he ordered his

squad to open fire and without hesitation the air was filled with the

sound of pulse rifles. One of the shots fired got through the heavy cover

but the Scouts armour proved strong enough to shrug the shot aside. The

markerlight proved helpful to one fire warrior who proved his skill and

hit his target in the head killing him instantly.

 

The Shas'ui, at the back of the Fire Warrior squad kept an eye on the

Dreadnaught. Although immobilized, he knew that if it became operational

that the remaining Fire Warriors would not stand a chance. Under the

pressure of the battle not a few meters in front of him, the Shas'ui kept

immense calm. He pulled two of his squad warriors aside and ordered that

they suppressing fire towards the Dreadnaught. Then, like the worst

nightmare the Dreadnought sprang into life after re stabilizing its

hydraulics and began lumbering toward the fire warriors.

 

The Shas'la and the Shas'ui in synchronicity realized that their weapons

would do no good against the Dreadnaughts thick armor and moved further

up the battle field into cover of their own again opening fire on the

Scouts.

 

Each footstep rumbled the dusty surface as closer the Dreadnaught

marched and with this, the fire warriors started fighting with an aura of

desperation. Through the gun fire the Tau's accuracy picked up again

killing one of the fore-front scouts.

 

The marching footsteps of the mechanized walker became louder than the

bullet fire itself and without warning the Dreadnaught broke through the

derelict ruins with one clean shoulder barge. Before the dust settled the

Dreadnaught sprayed a round of his stormbolter into the room the Tau took

refuge, but the crumbling ruin still fell knocking his arm altering his

aim enough that no bullets landed.

 

In a last ditch effort the Fire Warriors took fine aim at their target

now knowing the location of each of the Scouts hidden in the building

across the street and opened fire killing two more, one of whom was the

leader of the scouting force.

 

While the Dreadnaught secured its footing in the rubble underfoot, the

Tau warriors took advantage of their maneuverability and scattered,

retreating back to their main headquarters. The dreadnaught fired back at

the retreating Fire Warriors but each Warrior used grenades tactically on

nearby terrain, crumbling ruins behind them and creating a natural smoke

cloud from the dust on the surface of Yu'Sei.

 

Vox intel reached the ears of the Dreadnaught about the scout losses.

Knowing what they now face the only option left was for the remaining

scout and the damaged dreadnought to make a tactical retreat and return

with a bigger army to claim this planet in the name of the Emperor!

 

 

 

So what do you all think?

 

Many Thanks

Vex

 

*Edit: To change Formatting*