| COMMIT TO: Imperial Data File Inq/16787/DTH CROSS FILE: Inquisition into the Adeptus Astartes INPUT DATE: 0153002.M42 | AUTHOR: Inquisitor Palatine TRANSMITTER: Astropath Secundus Ariel RECEIVER: Astropath Prime Joshua |
| SUBJECT: Cleansing of Cygurdsin - The Hybrid Revolt begins, After Action Forensic report | THOUGHT: In the beginning there was the Emperor, All else follows Him |
Specialist Thorvelt carefully checked the safety catch of his Sparta pattern grenade launcher was on, then braced it against the rough bark of the tree. He lowered his head and squinted over the open sights at the collection of dilapidated buildings in the farm yard below. Satisfied he was ready for whatever it was the Lt thought was likely to happen, he risked a glance in the commanders direction. He was looking down at the farm house with a pair of occulars and talking with Commissar Gortmann when he jerked back a pace and turned to face back down the line. Surprised, Thorfelt looked back down at the farm house below and almost dropped his Grenade launcher. From his vantage point the view below had transformed. Gone was the peaceful peasant farm, instead the outhouses were vomiting black chitinous bodies. The very fabric of the building seemed to bulge and heave as genestealers and hormagaunts poured out of every orifice in the buildings. The voice of Leftenant Bates shouting orders to open fire brought Thorfelt back to himself. He hefted the grenade launcher and nestled the but back into his shoulder and squeezed the trigger arcing a grenade into the pack mass of aliens in the farm yard.
BATTLEFIELD:
DEPLOYMENT - 2/3rd Platoons 2nd Coy 109th Cygurdsin Millitia:The PDF formed up in roughly two lines with Blue Platoon and Platoon HQ on the left and Yellow
Platoon on the right. Anvil Squads were placed on the ridge where possible and Hammer squads between the farmyard and the ridgeline. Mortar section was placed on the extreme left in a gulley.DEPLOYMENT - Hive Fleet Germanicus
12 genestealers were deployed in the South western corner behind the PDF positions, under the cover of light forest. A biovore lumbered into position in the south eastern corner.
In the farmyard, 12 Scythed genestealers spilled out from the farmhouse and took shelter behind the farmyard wall, along with 12 Hormagaunts.
TURN ONE - 2/109th Cygurdsin Militia1st Leftenant Shouted down the line to open fire then turned to check the rear, He was horrified
to see the evil shapes of more genestealers flitting through the trees. He drew his power sword and shouted to his command squad to turn and take cover on the rear lip of the ridge ready for the oncoming storm. 2nd leftenant Gromil of Blue Platoon HQ had the same Idea, quickly realising the danger from the rear he turned his command squad and scrambled off to block the infiltrating genestealers in the rear of the platoon.On the other side of the ridge, however both Hammer squads advanced at the command of their
sergeants and surged forward to the edge of the forest. They slid into cover and opened a withering fire on the scythed genestealers gathering behind the farmyard wall.The mortar section went into action raining shells down on the farmyard, while the anvil sections poured chattering bolter fire into the chittering mass of aliens. Within a few seconds 7 scythed genestealers and 2 hormagaunts were blasted or shot to pieces.
Unknown to the squaddies in the rear of the hill, the three headquarters squads fired into the infiltrating genestealers killing 2 in their mad scramble to close with the PDF men.
TURN ONE - Tyranid Hive Fleet GermanicusA spore mine screamed overhead and landed in amongst the rocks near to Command HQ squads
position. The Scythed genestealers and the hormagaunts sprang across the farmyard wall and advanced into the teeth of the PDF's fire.Behind the wave of hormagaunts leaping the fence the Warriors advanced, one firing the venom
cannon it carried. The poisoned barbs finding a resting place in the back of one of Platoon HQ 's guards as the re positioned to face the infiltrating genestealers.The aliens struck the PDF line like a whirlwind, the Scythed genestealers swept away 6
guardsmen in as many seconds leaving no-one alive within reach. The hormagaunts tore into Blue hammer one on the left flank killing another 4. In a scant seconds the 'nids had devastated the front rank of the guards leaving 7 men in Yellow hammer one and only the sergeant and two other ranks in Blue Hammer 1.The shock was too great and Blue hammer one reeled backwards towards the remainder of their 
platoon on the ridgeline. The hormagaunts gave them no chance sweeping over them slaughtering the fleeing remnants to the foot of the ridge.
On the right the scythed genestealers turned and moved up the line of Yellow Hammer 1 to clash with the squads remnants who were standing firm despite shocking losses amongst their comrades in Blue Hammer 1.
Behind the ridge in the forest, the Genestealer infiltrators closed the gap with Blue HQ and
charged. They barely paused in their forward momentum to slaughter 2nd leftenant Gromil and his entire squad before moving on towards the mortar section.
TURN TWO - 2/109th Cygurdsin Millitia
Down in the hollow the Mortar section however had seen the destruction of Blue platoon HQ and had hurriedly gathered up their equipment to move up to the position just vacated by Bates.Once they reached their new position they took turns to pot shots over the heads of Bates' Company HQ squad into the hormagaunts killing 2.
Blue Hammer 1 on top of the ridge opened a rapid volley fire into to hormagaunts at the bottom of the ridge, harrowing the remaining aliens with las beams and holy promethium fire.
On the right flank, The remnants of Yellow hammer 1 closed up with the scythed genestealers
ready to take revenge for their dead comrades, but the genestealer mutants were too fast, killing 2 more PDF squaddies in the swirling combat.Behind the ridge Yellow Platoon HQ supported by Yellow Anvil 1 continued to pour fire into the
advancing skirmish line of genestealers. The preternaturally fast creatures dodged in and out of the sparse cover offered by the light forest, avoiding all harm.TURN TWO - Tyranid Hive Fleet Germanicus
The first spore mine drifted out from the rocks into the gully recently vacated by the mortar
section. A second one screamed down out of the sky landing amongst Yellow Anvil 1. It burst on impact, fragments scything through the air downed 2 squaddies.
The genestealers behind the ridge changed direction and continued their inexorable advance, now aimed at Blue Anvil 1 on top of the ridge. They struck with unparalleled ferocity leaving none of the Emperors servants in Blue Anvil 1 alive.
In the farmyard the Warriors strode over the farmyard wall and set off towards the Company HQ squad.
The Warrior holding the venom cannon symbiote fired at the flitting shadows of Bates' squad catching one of the squaddies with a diamond hard stream of poisioned barbs, ripping him in half. Then the Warriors charged. Warned by the short scream of the unfortunate squaddie, Leftenant Bates and Commisar Gortmann had a only a few moments to brace the squad to recieve the charge. But a few moments proved to be enough. Bates and his Company HQ squad took the Warriors charge pushed them back onto the defensive and and even succeeded in wounding two of the brutes.The Scythed genestealers of on the right flank made short work of the remainder of Yellow
Hammer 1 loosing only one to the chainsword of the heroic Sergeant Lokizon - All that was left of the squad.TURN THREE - 2/109th Cygurdsin Militia
With the mortars now set up on the knoll at the end of the ridge, The crews begin a rapid bombardment on the genestealers consolidating further along the ridge. 2 of the nightmare creatures are caught in the open, the blast spattering ichor over the bodies of the recently slaughtered guardsmen. With the loaders pouring out a torrent of mortar shells, the gunners were close enough to take up their lasrifles and add their fire to the conflagration. Their sniping took down another genestealer.
At the other end of the ridge the heavy bolter crew of Yellow Anvil 1 sat on top of the rocky outcrop. They worked feverishly to spin their gun around and pump belts of ammunition along 
the ridge into the genestealers sheltering from the conflagration enveloping them. Yellow platoon HQ added its fire as well knocking another genestealer from its feet.
In the gully below the sweating mortar men, Leftenant Bates and Commissar Gortman fought
the Warriors to a standstill wounding one of them while the beast bent down to skewer a squaddy.Sergeant Lokizon, all that was left of Yellow Hammer1 fought on to the last. But standing alone against four mutant Scythed Genestealers, ther was little he could do. The creatures took him apart, leaving him behind as little more than strips of flesh and fragments of bone and equipment.
TURN THREE - Tyranid Hive Fleet Germanicus
The spore mine - perhaps sensing the nearby labours of the mortar men, or pehaps directed by
the hive mind - drifted into their midst almost unnoticed and detonated. Lethal, razor shards of the mines carapace scythed the head off a PDF specialist.A second heralded its arrival with a scream of tortured air. Its trajectory had drifted in flight and instead of landing on the mortar men it fell like a comet amongst the combatants at the edge
of the forest. Its blast knocked one of the remaining warriors from their feet and ended the lives of 2 PDF troopers. The last Warrior recovered quickly and lashed out with a claw, catching Leftenant Bates unawares and Spearing him through the thigh. Commissar Gortman, lashed out with is power fist, punching through chittin and bone to rip the spine from the warrior, avenging his fallen officer.The genestealers on the ridge took quick advantage of the brief respite from the mortar fire and exited the ridge top. They headed for the valley floor and moved along the ridgeline, 
smashing into Yellow Platoon HQ. Two guardsmen went down struggling with the genestealer foe, and the leftenant stabbed another as it ran onto his power sword it its eagerness to close with him.
The Scything genestealers barreled into Yellow Anvil 1 killing the sergeant as he rose from his cover and two nearby troopers.
TURN FOUR - 2/109th Cygurdsin Militia
The mortar men scrambled back to their tubes, there was a flurry of activity resetting them upright then the mortars spoke again, the shells arced high and headed down towards the distant biovore. But the crosswinds that had deflected the sporemine earlier now deflected the counter fire. The mortar shells fell well behind the biovore's position.
Commissar Gortmann surveyed the ruin of his command and made a decision. The news that 
Tyranids were operating on Cygurdsin must get out. The Commissars first duty was to take the news to the planetary authoritaries and the Imperium. He set off at a run towards the hedge row.
Over the back of the ridge Yellow Platoon HQ were still engaged in a desperate struggle for their lives. The genestealers pulled apart another squaddie in a shower of gore, but remained impervious to all the troopers efforts to kill them.
Nearby Yellow Anvil 1 broke and ran after a brief struggle with the Scythed Genestealers, leaving three more troopers lying in pools of their own viscera and severed limbs.TURN FOUR - Tyranid Hive Fleet Germanicus
The Biovore lobbed return fire at the mortar section again and again the cross wind above the forest deflected the trajectory, causing the mine to come down beyond the intended target.
The Scything genestealers, determined not to let Yellow Anvil 1 get away, charge the still fleeing men. Briefly their courage returns and they turn to face the charge. It did them no good as the 'stealers shreded them.
he Leftenant of Yellow Platoon HQ has more luck, he fends off the attentions of all three
remaining genestealers all by himself. after a brief flurry of blows, the Leftenant looked around himself and found the was the only living creature left standing. He did the only sensible thing he could think of. He ran.TURN FIVE - 2/109th Cygurdsin Militia
The Leftenant sprinted as fast as he could towards the mortar section screaming into his vox mike for a covering barrage.Worrying more about counter battery fire the, mortar men put three shells down and bracketed the Biovore, shrapnel from blasts too far away rattled harmlessly off the thick chittin of the beast.
TURN FIVE - Tyranid Hive Fleet Germanicus
The Scythed genestealers, hearing the receding footsteps of the PDF Leftenant, turned and loped off after him as the Biovore sent another spore mine screaming over their heads to land harmlessly beyond the mortar team.
TURN SIX - 2/109th Cygurdsin Militia
Commissar Gortmann clambered over the hedge into the farmyard and ran. Behind him The young leftenant formerly of Yellow Platoon HQ was all that was left of his now destroyed command. He too was running. The mortar section, seeing him comming through the undergrowth, finally adjusted their fire and placed 3 shots squarely onto the remnants of the scything genestealer pack that was tracking him. All three of the remaining mutants were caught in the blasts and tossed like broken dolls through the undergrowth.
TURN SIX - Tyranid Hive Fleet Germanicus
The Biovore sensing there was nothing left for it to do here made ready to lumber off into the woods. It paused and almost as an afterthought belched out one last spore towards the Mortars it had been dueling with. The mine fell out of the sky directly on top of the mortar section. A whirlwind of fragmenting chitin scoured the position, but as the blast cleared, all five specialists of the section got to their feet and stood amazed to have survived. Many many more of their comrades had not. As the the guns fell silent over the battle ground they began to hear the moans of the wounded.
