"If you really want to take the lead, you can do so." Heltherith replied. While she wasn't inclined either way about herself taking the lead on the attack, if someone else was willing to do then that took the problem of being the first one to get attacked she was quite happy to let them. As she got a better look at the forces in front of her, the Wych stopped for a moment to best consider her own move to attack. Considering that while any falsely diplomatic options had been ruled out by stating publicly that they would start out with a single strike, it only left her with the issue of which threat she should deal with first... And that would be the Sentries upon the watch towers, given that they would likely be the main forces to sound a local alert. Still, consideration was all well and good but it was never a substitute for action. So Mertrixa activated the jammer and said to everyone ( @Jorimel , @Vulpas , @bossaroo , @Kalle ) "Well, it's time to start raiding. Just make sure that one of you ensure that the Devilfish doesn't cause a problem for the rest of us." With that said, she then waited to see if the other Wych would go first in the attack. And if that wasn't forthcoming, only then would Heltherith speed towards the communication center, aiming to see if she couldn't get a few sentries with both the bladevanes and the bike's splinter rifle before using her own tools of the trade.
<Tertiary Team> @kanila @Draconion @Grall_Stonefist @Wata The Pterodayxil roared, showing its long sharp teeth again, but it didn't attack. It lowered its head a bit, allowing Aesra to approach it (and even climb it). But one thing was sure - the murderous lust clear in its huge almond-shaped eyes. Beastmaster could control it for a short time, but if he didn't feed it soon...(OOC you barely got the control over the flying beast, if it doesn't make a kill during my next post (aka you need a good roll) it'll disobey command. You can emote jumping on it and heading over to Tau lines). "What are you waiting for? Somebody to hold your hand?" it was Aerith's voice who broke the silence, his disgust clearly showing. Why should they wait when they obviously had enemies to kill, not to mention there were enemies who could even spot them and alarm others of their location. As the Kroot patrol approached, the Sybarite, not really carrying for others, signaled his men to disembark and move closer while bringing the Raider in range as well. Simultaneously they opened fire on the Kroot, the Kabalites showing their superior marksman skill as they ripped the aliens apart with splinter shards, killing each of them in less time it took them to scream, but also stealing from both Hetax and Kaesar the enjoyment of making the kill. However not everything went that smoothly. Thû, who by that time reached the defensive line and started listening into Tau defenders - the actual two Pathfinders sitting inside it didn't speak anything, just stood there and watched the surroundings, saw some commotion behind. Crossing the row line (while his Enforcers stayed behind due to them not having Mandrake-like capabilities), he immediately stumbled upon a small leather hovel where he could see five Kroot warriors on foot cleaning their rifles and two Kroot Hounds laying on each side of a Krootox, on top of which sat a completely white-skinned Kroot, covered in scars and various trophies. But the moment Aerith's men gunned the patrol down, the albino Kroot and his men rose their beaks up in alert, looking quite alarmed as if they sensed something was amiss...It was clear to Mandrake - the Tau are about to become aware of their presence (or more likely that some enemy was upon them) and sooner they acted the better. OOC Tau will spot you with my next post and attack you, so better do it first Friendly: Aesra: 11HP (Razorwings:2HP Helspider:2HP), Thû: 11HP, Hetax:11 HP, Kaesar: 9HP (due to earlier fight, he didn't fully recover and is starting with bit of less HP) - Eetlis - 5 Enforcers: 5HP - 5 Hellions (veterans) - Helliarch (Boss) - 1 Raider with 10 Kabalite Warriors & Sybarite Aerith(Boss) - 1 idle Raider + Venom Enemy: - 15 Pathfinders inside the rows and 3 bunkers (bunkers have mounted blaster cannons, facing only outward towards the jungle) + 2 anti-air missile pods - 10 gun drones alongside Pathfinders - 10 Fire Warriors (behind the line) - 2 Piranhas (behind the line) (veterans) - On Thû's side (behind the lines): - Albino Kroot on Krootox (Boss) - 2 Kroot hounds - 5 Kroot warriors (veterans)
With a smug feeling of accomplishment, Aesra climbed on to the pterodayxil. The powerful and murderous intentions could be felt emanating from his new mount. Leaning down to look into its large eye, he patted the side of its neck. "Don't you worry, you'll be able to feast soon." He settled in ready to test the large pterodayxil in combat. He would be the envy of any beastmaster in the arena with such a beast! Turning to the Heliarch, "Let's head for the Tau lines, its time for some fun!" The pterodayxil kicked off the ground and began a low flight over the tree line making its way quickly towards the battle lines. "Heliarch take your Hellions and knockout the anti-air turret, I will focus on the ground forces." Activating the vox (whatever DE version is called) "Launch the attack now! Hellions will take out the anti-air, and I will clean up the ground forces. Move quickly! We don't want to let the main attack have all the fun now do we?!" Gaining some altitude, Aesra directs the pterodayxil into a dive at the Tau pathfinders. The Razorwings and Helspider explode out of the jungle foliage on to the nearest defenders. As he makes his approach he throws a vial of pheromones at the kroot leader, with any luck he would be able to control that beast as well! If he could bring them all back surely the Archon would be impressed. The fame and accolades would be near endless!
<Thû> As the primal perceptions of the Kroot pack warn them of danger close at hand, Thû swings into action, trusting to surprise and aggression to carry the day where stealth has failed. Taking a low kneeling position amidst the jungle shrubbery, he primes a Poison grenade and flicks it into the middle of the Kroot formation. Without wasting time, he disappears into the foliage, box-flanking the Kroot a good distance to the right to continue on his original path towards the generator complex. "Maintain position," he voxes to the Enforcers, "Support the main offensive as concealed rearguard should they need to fall back."
with their moment of surprise taken away by rash actions, Hetax could do little else but just try to use the last bit of it before the Tau would surely react, even if the kills had been mostly silent, Hetax had no plans of attacking a wall with awake defenders, so instead he got up from his crouched postition and sprinted towards the defencive barrier, surely some others would keep at range and support, now it was all about exploiting the last moments of genuine surprise to their favour.
With the killing of kroot denied from him Kaesar's good mood and smile vanished in a heartbeat. "You little bastard." He cussed at Aerith. Now the window of opportunity got a lot smaller. The surprise had to happen now. He joined Hetax in an attempt to make the best shock attack possible. AND to take the kills back that was denied from him. Kaesar would have his fun one way or the other.
Secondary Team @Maleth @Jorimel @bossaroo @Vulpas Kadara let her compatriots lead the charge, hanging back on her jetbike to release a salvo of splinter fire upon the Tau combatants within view. Then, she pushed her vehicle into full throttle and laid herself flat against the top, leaning into the breakneck charge she was making towards the wall, pulling the wailing jetbike into a massive leap over the walls, giving her a vantage from which she chucked down one of her haywire grenades on the nearby devilfish, attempting to disable it to give her fellow raiders an opening.
<Secondary Team> @Maleth @Vulpas @Jorimel @bossaroo @Kalle The Dark Eldar raiders attacked simultaneously, like a well-oiled machine their blades fell upon the unsuspecting defenders. Coming from above, Heltherith aimed her aerial charge at the closest watchtower in sight. Opening fire, first one of the sentries exploded in a shower of gore while the second one was cut in half as Wych's jetbike flew by, cutting the frail body in two with its bladed edges. Aiming her charge towards the second tower, the two Pathfinders on it saw her and opened fire with their pulse rifles, however they missed wildly and in return, Heltherith sniped one of them and his head was blown open, corpse falling on the ground below. Yrara was next, coming low and opening fire on the fleshly troops outside the center. However the Fire Warriors reacted swiftly or Haemonculus' aim was off, in any case his fire raked the wall of the compound, killing few of the civilians behind but not doing anything to the troops. In return, Fire Warriors grouped up in two groups of five and started returning fire, some of the plasma shots impacting on armored jetbike's hull which threw sparks Yrara's way, some of it reaching his arms and wounding him a bit, before once again taking aim at him for another salvo. However before they could do it, Kadara swooped below and started firing on them, killing two Fire Warriors and forcing them to disperse, thus preventing more fire. Flying overhead she continued into the compound itself, where she saw the Devilfish powering up - just in time for her haywire grenade! Dropping down, the explosive engulfed the vehicle and made its electronic momentarily burst, making it drop back on the ground and into a halt as the aliens inside of it tried to turn it back on again. Nearby gun drones on the other hand were undisturbed by such facts and they started retaliating, trying to catch the speeding Kabalite. But alas, only thing they managed to hit was air as their targeting systems proved to be inadequate to deal with the reaver jetbike. Seeing what transpired, Ave'ras and his men followed Kadara in order to seize the opportunity, focusing their fire on the vehicle and drones around it. Ave'ras' aim was perfect, not to mention it was also easy for a Dark Eldar to kill a stationary object - and his firing (alongside with some help of his comrades) found weak spots in the vehicle and blew it up, ending its threat once and for all. Gun drones followed similar fate as the Enforcers sniped the pesky robots, dropping them like flies from the sky. Sadly, at that moment their luck ran out as the sentries from the other two towers (not counting the one firing on Heltherith) aimed and fired on the raiders. Ave'ras himself evaded any injury, the shots grazing his jetbike but not doing much damage, however the same could not be said for his soldiers as a lucky shot penetrated Venom's armor, taking out its trusters and sending it flying straight into a building. The Venom crashed in a nice explosion, totaled and alongside it, two Enforcers lied dead on the ground while the remaining three were trying to crawl away from the crash site. Those Fire Warriors outside, seeing the commotion and the fact most of the Dark Eldar troops where heading towards the interior, tried to do the same. However their plan was foiled as final member of the attack force revealed himself. Keshariel fell upon those Fire Warriors outside like a vengeful spirit, slaying one with jetbike's splinter rifle before running in close, killing two with the bladed jetbike's edge before hopping down from it and going to work. Tying up the Fire Warriors in melee where they were weakest, three more died as they tried to defend themselves, but alas, the Wych (obviously) proved to be much better at close-quarters. Since the attack wasn't entirely successful and some of the aliens outside survived, they began calling for help and, while the long-range sensors were out, short-ranged worked and the door opened on the central building. Coming within sight were two full squads of Fire Warriors alongside ten supporting drones, forming a defensive perimeter around the site. Anchoring the line and standing at the door itself was a towering form of XV-88, or more widely known as Broadside Battlesuit. In its hands held a long barreled heavy rail rifle with which was about to aim at the Venom wreckage while two smart missile systems on its back was about to get a lock on Kadara's and Ave'ras' flying forms... Friendly: Heltherith: 11HP, Yrara: 10HP, Keshariel: 10HP, Ave'ras: 11HP, Kadara:11HP, Enforcers: 3HP Enemy: - 2 Fire Warriors (outside) - 5 Sentries (Pathfinders) on towers - 22 Earth Caste civilians - XV-88 Broadside (heavy rail rifle + smart missile system) (Elite) - reinforcements coming from the center - 20 Fire warriors - reinforcements coming from the center - 10 gun drones - reinforcements coming from the center
Secondary Team @Maleth @Jorimel @bossaroo @Vulpas Kadara brought her jetbike into a swift turn, rocking the vehicle from side to side in an evasive dance. She readied her second haywire grenade, throwing it after the Broadside in hopes of disabling its systems before it could open fire on her companions. Once the grenade was in the air, she laid down against the controls again and opened fire at the battlesuit with the jetbike's splinter weapons.
<Tertiary Team> @kanila @Draconion @Grall_Stonefist @Wata Perhaps Aerith's attack had been misplaced in overall scheme of things, but the next attack came simultaneously from multiple sides. Riding on the wings of his new pet, Aesra arrived to bring ruin to the Tau defense and signal for the real start of the attack. Diving in on the defenders in the lines, Aesra learned one important thing - this beast was big, but wasn't really fast. Even before the Hellions could deal with the anti-air emplacements the missiles got a lock on and in proper Tau fashion, opened fire from far away. Crashing into the creature, it blew off chunks of its flesh away and the pterodaxyl roared in pain but kept on going, diving in on one of the bunkers and totally crashing it, killing two Pathfinders inside it. Ravenwings and Helspider came next, the birds managing to kill another Pathfinder and one drone before they had to fly away to not get shot down by the defenders while the Helspider used its quickness to kill two more unsuspecting defenders by creeping close enough to use its bladed legs. Flying over the line and dropping pheromones on the Kroot, Aesra saw they had some effect on them as two aliens, instead of going for their rifles, stopped dead in track, dumbfounded while the rest tried to aim at him. They fired and missed, but sadly for him those two Piranhas from the back got a lock on and launched in the air, opening fire on Aesra and his beast, which further wounded it and even the Beastmaster himself who now suffered couple of wounds across his form. From below, Thû followed what was happening and chucked his poison grenade at the unsuspecting Kroot, killing those two stunned Kroot and another one alongside its hound. Seeing the danger the aliens fired wildly around themselves, however they missed by a wide margin and the Mandrake was clear to advance on the Generator since the Tau's eyes were upon the attackers. Arriving in front of the walled area, the Assassin saw that even more Tau were coming from it, ready answer the call and destroy the interlopers. He could see twenty Fire Warriors leading the charge, behind which came ten Cadre Fireblades led by some sort of a leader armed with a long spear. But that wasn't the biggest issue - the biggest issue were three Battlesuits that just barged into view. Two of them were armed with twin-linked plasma rifles and target locks, while the third one was equipped with a flamer, fusion blaster and a shield generator. Of course, they didn't know he was here as they prepared to reach the defenders so he was free to act as he wanted. While the Mandrake was back chilling, the real fight was happening in the front. Going alongside each other, Hetax and Kaesar jumped into the row just as the defenders were finally starting to organize. Six Pathfinders came into view and the Incubus fell upon them, the tight space in the row making his every swing count and three of them died within couple of initial seconds. However the close-quarter went both ways and the remaining pathfinders opened fire with their nasty pulse carabines, drawing blood from Kaesar and wounding him even further, which didn't help his already injured state (OOC @Wata you can emote killing 3 remaining pathfinders with your next post). Hetax on the other hand, focused his fire on the flying drones, killing them quite easily in fact. Six of them died after being introduced with his shotgun and the remaining flew away, their AI routine forced to save them from certain death. But then he had to duck as the Fire Warriors tried to close in on the row, opening fire at it in hopes of pinning down the intruders. But it was then when the remaining Dark Eldar force burst forward. Flying in first, Hellions waded through the missile fire which now came their way. Three of them sadly died but the work was done: remaining two sliced up the first missile emplacement and Helliarch himself destroyed the second, his flying skills unmatched in their current "army" as he easily glided away from any sort of trouble. Aerith, showing that while he was perhaps a sleazy individual, he was quite capable at fighting. Sending in Venom first, Tau bunkers began firing on it, focusing their effort to take the vehicle out. They succeeded but too late to realize that they had bigger problems than this. First Raider on top of which half of Sybarite's forces were now located, opened fire and its dark lance annihilated the bunker alongside its occupants, after which they repeated this move once more, taking out the first line of defenders. Second Raider, on which Aerith himself was flying, speared down on the defenders and sliced up remaining drones alongside half of the Fire Warriors, which made their squad fall back in terror, easy pickings for the rest of their force. He could of course go for the 2 Piranhas going after Aesra and his beast, but Sybarite decided against it and went after few Kroot. They scrambled but the current force disposition disallowed them from completely pulling out and three of those aliens fell, the specialized ammo carried by these Kabalites knocking the Kroot warriors out while a single hound alongside the Albino leader on top of Krootox still lingered, trying to retreat towards the generator while firing on the Raider, although his every shot missed. Friendly: Aesra: 9HP (Razorwings:2HP Helspider:2HP, Pterodaxyl:3HP), Thû: 11HP, Hetax:11 HP, Kaesar: 7HP - Eetlis - 5 Enforcers: 5HP - 2 Hellions (veterans) - Helliarch (Boss) - 1 Raider with 5 Kabalite Warriors & Sybarite Aerith(Boss) - 1 Raider with 5 Kabalite Warriors Enemy: - 5 Fire Warriors (behind the line) (Broken) - 2 Piranhas (behind the line) (veterans) - chasing Aesra - Albino Kroot on Krootox (Boss) - retreating towards generator - 1 Kroot hounds - retreating towards generator - Around generator: - 10 Cadre Fireblades (veterans) - 20 Fire Warriors - Cadre leader with a spear (Boss) - XV8 Crisis Battlesuits (Elite): 2x twin-linked plasma rifles + target locks & 1x flamer, fusion blaster + shield generator
