Goals

• Free Flow
• Book keeping kept to a minimum
  
• Story/narrative to give it meaning.
• Three Way Tau; Imperial (IG mainly); Eldar Biel Tan
• Clear Ending
  

• Abandoned Front line Bunkers;
• Civilians in the Way
• Arctic Conditions (Cold, Night Fighting)
• Ambush
• Supply Problems
• Fleet overhead - Free Orbita Bomardment

Trooper Svart squatted low into the ice covered undergrowth and gazed disconnectedly into the tangled bracken ahead. Sweat trickled down the back of his neck until it met the fur lining of the upturned collar of his great coat. He had been born in the uplands of the north, far from this place but somehow, strangely the same. He had spent many a season as a boy and then a youth hunting in forests just like this. He loved the way the blue tinged light of the Day-Star turned the delicate snow crystals a deep turquoise, How the icicles in the trees tinkled musically in the slightest breeze. But today the forest was different. Today there was something wrong. Something was turning the cool blue shade under the canopy of leaves into a chilling darkness. A shockingly fast movement in the shadowy undergrowth ahead jerked him back from his reverie. It had been so fast he barely believed he had seen anything. He halted and droped to one knee. Some distance behind him he could hear the stealthy movements of the rest of his squad followed his lead. Ignoring them he swallowed and turned his head slowly this way and that, looking at the bush with is unconscious mind as he had learnt as a boy. Waiting to see if his brain could pick out a pattern that didn't belong, or a movement that was not a part of the forest. When the alien thing curled out from the branches barely 2 meters from his head he could hardly believe his eyes. It appeared as if growing out of the very bark of the tree. It paused completely motionless for a split second staring at him, its glass hard black eyes reflecting his own image back at him. Svart barely had time to scream as it struck.

BATTLEFIELD:

The Terrain was made up of light woods leading to an open groxx paddock in the far northern edge. These trees provided a 5+ cover save in the undergrowth but did nothing to block line of sight or slow down movement.

DEPLOYMENT - 109th Millitia

The Patrol was stretched out in column of march when the Cultists backed by a fragment of Hive Behemoth called to the world by the siren of the cult hive mind. Red platoon hammer squad 1 was in point followed the rest of red platoon then Green platoon and finally 1st Company HQ accompanied by Commissar Matilda.

DEPLOYMENT - Tyranid xenos

We have determined from surviving battle ROM that a brood of hormagaunts deployed in line on the right flank in parallel with the line of advance. To their right a brood of warriors kept a tight control on their activities.

Warriors anchored the hormagaunts on the eastern ridge line, forming the center of the xenos formation.

The box was held shut by the Magus and his retinue of fanatical heretic bodyguards.

Sat in a field beyond the forest surrounded by disinterested groxx the monstrous Tyranid Biovore readied its self to rain spores over the battlefield.

TURN ONE - Tyranid Hive Fleet Germanicus

The 'nids sprang the ambush as 1st Leftenant Andiemann led his column into its killing zone. The Hormagaunts moved forward after dispatching the scouts, easily outpacing the larger warriors in their eagerness to close with the column.

The first sign of the oncomming avalanche of chittin and claws for most was the piercing shreik of a mycetic spore arcing across the azure firmament and landing with a squelch dead center of Red Platoon HQ. Four men were completely coated in the sticky green ichor which issued from the spore. Men knocked over by the concussion staggered to their feet and gazed curiously at the substance. Then the screaming began as they saw their own limbs and those of their comrades rapidly begin to melt into red-black puddles.

The Warriors, with the advantage of height saw the column first, sighted up Red Anvil 1 squad and blasted one trooper into chunks with a stream of crystalline tipped barbs.

TURN ONE - 1/109th Cygurdsin Millitia

1st Leftenant Andiemann wasted no time ordering his defense. Even as he heard the screech of the incoming spore mine, he ordered the Mortar teams to deploy and return fire. with guidance from the radio operator of Red Hammer 1 they were soon shelling the advancing Warriors at the cusp of the valley, blowing chunks off of one of the beasts and wounding it severely.

Meanwhile Green platoon had pulled back from the combat swirling to their front and taken up positions in the undergrowth. Only then had they begun returning fire into the only target they could see. Lasrifles and heavy bolter fire reached out to the oncoming cultist body guard, stripping the foliage from around them and punching one from his feet. The rest of the zealot cultists and their wicked master dove for cover and readied themselves for the next rush.

Red Hammer 1 squad continued its desperate mêlée with the Hormagaunts. Two more soldiers of the Emperor lost their lives, butchered by the enemy. But these doughty men were not beaten easily just yet. Having recovered from the initial shock they turned their rifle buts and bayonets on the hormagaunts clubbing and stabbing the foe.
Trooper Vallent overcame one of them, splitting its exoskeleton open in several places with his lasrifle on auto, then repeatedly plunging his bayonet into the cracks until the thing stopped twitching.

Under the shadows of the cool forest canopy on the far side of the ridge, ominous noises could be heard. They weren't the noises of the normal forest day as all of the animals nearby had fallen quiet, hiding fearfully at the bottom of their burrows. They could sense a new predator in the woods. Under the cover of the confusion caused by the hormagaunts, the first of the pure strain genestealers sped across the forest floor. Across the valley floor the Warriors continued their march towards the hormagaunts feeding ground.

In the next valley over the Magus and his bodyguard of insane human dupes leapt from cover in another short rush to close with the enemy. The covered their attack with wild blasts from their riot guns hitting nothing but making plenty of noise.

In all of this confusion the shrieking arrival of the second spore mine went almost unnoticed. This mine landed well short of the PDF line coming to rest in amongst the rocky outcrop at the head of the valley.

The hormagaunts, urged on by the approaching Warrior brood went into overdrive. Frenzied attacks first drove the men of Red Hammer 1 back then finally overwhelmed them in an avalanche of angry bugs. With a taste for human flesh the bugs rushed forward heedless of the guns now hastily being re aimed in their direction.

The PDF position was resting on a knife edge. The Mortar men had changed targets at the request of the grenadier of Green HQ, who - having scaled the ridge between the two valleys - had reported seeing something moving in the cool darkness of the next valley over, but their shots had failed to find any mark and had done nothing but churn up leaf mould.

Sergeant Pultroon of Red Anvil 1 dove into cover and rallied his squad around him. Taking only a few moments to re organize he set the remaining trooper of the heavy bolter team to reset his weapon while he and the remainder of the squad provided covering fire hoping to suppress the cultists now rushing towards his new position.

Green Platoon turned their guns on the advancing Hormagaunts punishing the slayers of Red Hammer 1 with lasrifles, many went down but still they came on. Heavy bolter fire from Green Anvil 1 swept across the onrushing xenos chopping up 'nids and branches alike, but still they came on.

TURN THREE - Tyranid Hive Fleet Germanicus
The Genestealers continued their advance towards the ridge. More genestealers infiltrated quietly through the woods to the right of the original infestation, and to the left a small group of hybrids armed with a motley collection of arms moved up stealthily, in the direction of the mortar teams.
The Warriors picked their way almost delicately through the viscera and body parts that was all that remained of Red Hammer 1 Squad. The Warrior paused as though in thought. It cocked it head curiously at the humans scurrying about in the forest a head and sent a burst of poison flechette out from the venom cannon it carried in its lower limbs. The diamond hard rounds scoured the undergrowth around Red Anvil 1 punching through roots, leaves, ballistic cloth and flesh. When Sergeant Pultroon glanced around after the firing stopped two of his men were convulsing in poison induced agony while a third was frantically patting at his uniform to pull out a barb that had lodged in the ballistic cloth.

Overhead a by now too familiar scream of rent air heralded the arrival of another spore mine. It landed in the rear of the packed ranks of Green platoon and once again the men of that platoon were coated with the clear sticky acid of the spore. Three PDF'er from Green Anvil 1 were caught when the acid filled the shallow scrape they were sheltering in and they barely had time to scream as the pool of acid turned red black with their residue.

The Magus and his body guard leapt forward once more, once more firing a cloud of shot as they came. This time their charge carried them straight into Red Platoon HQ. 2nd Leftenant Dagenhad drew his powersword and lunged into the fray, determined to take the strangely clad leader down, he angled his counter rush to bring him face to face with the Magus.

He was halfway through a back handed swing that would have decapitated his opponent when his gaze met the magus's eyes. His mind struggled for only a brief moment before his mind snapped and all that was Jamis Dagenhad fell into the abyss that was the Magus's gaze. What replaced him belonged body and soul to the all-father. The platoon Grenadier was the first to notice. Seeing the leftenants sword arm fall slack at this side, he turned on his heel and ran, soon the whole of Red Platoon HQ was running back towards the guards lines. Quickly taking advantage of the situation the Magus spurred his bodyguard on, straight into Red Hammer1.

TURN THREE - 1/109th Cygurdsin Millitia
1st Leftenant Andiemann, raised his head above the tangle of roots behind which he was hiding to survey the scene. Red Platoon was gone. Hacked down or dissolved in only a few minutes of combat. He could see Red Platoon HQ , all that was left of 25 men and women, streaming back towards his lines. The only thing left for him to to was by space and time to out gun these abominations. He dropped back into cover, grabbed the handset from his vox operator and began issuing the necessary orders.


The rest of Green Platoon HQ moved up to the top of the ridge to fire down onto the advancing purestrains.
Grenades Lazbeams and plasma beams strobed out into the gathering darkness of the forest seeking out the advancing horrors, but none went down. The Mortars added their weight of fire and this time managed to drop 3 Genestealers with shrapnel. In the valley behind them Green Hammer 1 opened up with lasfire on the advancing Warrior 'nids. A cheer went up when the fearsome bug with the venom cannon shuddered, staggered and fell, punctured by many wounds.
Red Hammer 1 couldn't face the fight with the Magus's bodyguard and, after a brief indecisive bout of hand to hand, broke and ran.

The remains of Red Hammer 1 fled into the woods behind the PDF positions. History will show that this display of cowardice served the men of RH1 little, none ever made it from the boundaries of the forest alive nor would history every be able to identify their final resting place. The Remains of Red Platoon Headquarters however turned in flight and flung themselves into combat with the Magus.
It was to be of no avail though 2nd Leftenant Dagenhad hacked down three of his former comrades. The body guard with the eviscerator added to the tally by splitting trooper Karris messily in half. In the confusion the Magus hypnotised the squad vox operator and with that last horror both Red Platoon HQ and Green Hammer 1 fled the fight.

Behind the ridge the genestealers walked into a barrage of mortar fire. Three gene stealers walked into the curtain of fire and were flayed by fragments while concentrated fire from the remainder of the PDF force swept the ridge top killing the few genestealers to slow in falling back with their brood brothers. In a few seconds the brood was reduced to 3 healthy pure strains in cover behind the ridge. Andiemann scrabbled up to the top of the ridge with his command squad in tow. At the top of the ridge he was stunned by the level of carnage. He quickly dispatched a wounded 'stealer and took up a covered position where he could observe valley opposite. All he could see was genestealers, pure strain genestealers.

TURN FIVE - Tyranid Hive Fleet Germanicus
On the far flank the cult hybrids advanced again pouring on fire from their motley collection of weapons. Up on the ridge the three remaining genestealers from the purestrain brood supported by the scythed Genestealers bounded back up the hill and buried 1st Leftenant Andiemann along with two of his command squad in a scrum of clawing chittinous bodies. Commissar Sainte immediately rallied the squad and plunged into the fray.
In the valley behind them another spore mine landed in the middle of the PDF position noisily dissolving 2 men. The remaining Warriors continued their march towards the fight.






TURN FIVE - 1/109th Cygurdsin Millitia

By now the battle was lost. The Mortar crews continued without guidance to pour fire onto the reverse slope of the ridge killing two Scythed Genestealers .

The remains of Green Hammer 1 squad charged the cultists in the vain hope of selling themselves dearly. But their heart wasn't in it and after a brief flurry of blows they broke and fled the field. But not before the Magus had wiped another mind for the hive.

Commissar Sainte stabbed at the genestealer trying to tear out her bowel with her power sword and ripped the blade upwards severing diamond hard bone and muscle with equal ease then turned to face the next foe. She was all alone on the hill as all of what was now her command squad had been cruelly torn to shreds.

TURN SIX - Tyranid Hive Fleet Germanicus
The brood of hybrids advanced once more and formed a firing line. They raised their weapons and executed all but two of the Mortar crews. They were the lucky ones as the remaining two became the playthings of the two remaining Warriors who had final joined the fight. On the hill Commissar Sainte lived only slightly longer before the purestrains overcame her. The field belonged to the Cult.

There were no survivors.