"That is worrying indeed."nodded Zeth as he looked at Lt.Rethinking his retort to the good Lieutenant and watching the hololitic display,putting both of his palms on the table,his face close to the Hive and all its spires,defensive emplacement and killzones,made vivid by the hololitic table.Zooming on the particular section of the Hive,his metallic arm swiping left and right to the desired position at last. "I understand mortal units are extremly hampered in these conditions.But i might have better tactical role for your men Lt.Concord then covering the rear of my spearhead."spoke Zeth as he indicated a position some two hundred meters away from the Hive wall,not too far away from their own position. "This will be artillery placement.Also it will be our starting point.From this point we march into the city.Due to the limited information on the enemy and civilian placements,artillery will not be utilized as an opener of the theater.With His grace i will send Amadeus on the northerner part of the Hive,utilizing its speed and the grace only a Lancer have,it will give me vital information from the back of its enemy.Under the cover of darkness and the interference the storm is causing,it will probably slip by.Cerestus will march into the city headlong from the southern side,thought the hab-block A,followed by the Cataphractii and bulk of Hyspasits.Their objective will be to take the main roads of the Hive,blocking the Tau vehicles."spoke Zeth as his tactical mind raced over the hololitic map.His aide,standing beside him,looked over the map,her beautiful faced washed in the green reflecting light that the table emitted. "Considering how your men are the most numerous,i will use their numbers in two fold-goals.Since this is a Hive world,i presume your men have been trained in the art of urban warfare.Fifty percent of your fighting force will be taking the hab-block A,house by house,reinforced by the rest of my Hyspasits.Utilizing cut corners and knowledge of the terrain your men should be able to evade the aliens clear gunline and meet them in the range of fire,of their choice.The rest of your men will be embarked into the eastern Hive wall,trying to get better ground advantage over the Tau.Also...i want those defenses operational.If any of the equipment is damaged,they will have my Enginseer`s expertise."sighted Tribune,as he straightened himself. "Due to statical interferance,in case vox fails,we will use blur-code.Your men being unable to communicate in His sacred word...will have their orders relayed by either my Hyspasits who are with them,or the Enginseers. And for...Leviathan...well i have special assignment for him,something more fitting for someone hailing from House Feardraken."smiled mischievously Zeth as he looked straight into the face of Lt.Concord,as if asking for retort to his strategies. @Xaphen
- Duo The news of the dead xeno did not sit well with Duo. The Tau had bloodied him, and he was now denied his retribution. 'Either the zeal of our men or that of the PDF was too great to bare... or the xeno was silenced to deny us valuable information. The implications were not favorable.' [What do you think Amadeus?] The Lancer had been repaired and recharged for the coming battle. Standing at attention while tech priest's said final rights and finished diagnostics. Amadeus stood without responding, but a sudden engine roar shook the unprepared enginseers. Duo laughed, then place his bionic right palm upon the knight's left leg. "The Mechanicum are expected to take the city by their own power. The 9th too weak and unwilling to follow us into this obvious trap. They will not find us wanting." Activating his personal vox, Duo contacted the Zeth. "Sir...," He was met with static... "Curious." With that, Duo made for the Tribune's location.
Lt. Concord smiled at the mans ideas. This was his first time meeting a skitarii force, and the commander had set a good impression for the Mechnicum as a whole. "As you wish. Me and my men will clear out the buildings in this hab block. Where do you fully intend to send your force?" (@High_Adept_Zeth , Ok so we can get to show moving, make all orders for your units and the Knights. Use the street names or just the area located for me to make it easier. The Lt. will begin to clear out Hab block A. Its go time bois!)
OOC:Yus! Tribune,pleased by Lt.`s approval motioned with his metal-wrought index finger to the hololitic table and to a particular street. "This will be our entry point."pointed Zeth at the entry-gate of the hab-block 'A' that was also an entry gate to the hive city. "Cerestus will lead the entry,his shield will come in handy in the frontal attack.He will be followed by the Cataphractii and two squads of Hyspasits,Alpha and Beta with the Sagitari following on the back,pushing through the mainstreet of the Hive,and crushing down any major resistance the Tau have set up."spoke the Tribune as he acknowledged with a nod Lord Stadtfeld who walked into the tent,Amadeus`s pilot.Death of the Tau prisoner and the whole incident surfaced back to his mind,but he didnt let it show.He merely nodded with a smile. He regretted the death of the Tau POW,but he couldnt suffer any distention in his ranks and thus he had the Tau removed.For enemy intelligence he could always capture another... "At the entrance alone,fifty percent of your men wont be following the main Skitarii force,but will utilize cover and with Hyspasit Gamma,start to clear all sideway streets and alleys.The other half of your men will be entering on both eastern and western side with a squad of Enginseers.I want those Hive defenses up and running,or to disable them if they have fallen in enemy hands."spoke Tribune as the pointed with his metal finger on the walls. "The percent that this whole stage is a Tau trap is high,considering how the Tau military commanders are know for utilizing unorthodox and devious ways of warfare."added Zeth with a degree of scorn. "But if we run in on any entrenched Tau position,we have artillery cover,from out of the Hive."spoke Tribune as he pointed on a position south of the Hive (not much farther from where they are currently),a position for the Basilisks. "Leviathan will stand by,i will keep him as an ace.But you...Lord Duo...you will be our scorpion tail."spoke Zeth with no small degree of glee,knowing full well that Duo was anxious to get back into the fight ever since they finished that minor skirmish with the enemy from earlier today. "You will breach the enemy position from the Northern side of the Hive,spreading mayhem and disorder,a perfect role for a Lancer.Now...our vox systems are down,so we will use binaric code.The signal is strong enough to break thought the static,that the storm is forming.Do not engage the enemy at the cost of the engine,Lord Duo.We have lost enough Knights already..."spoke Zeth as he remembered the wrecks of all those Knights he had to leave behind. "We will commit our forces in thirty minutes.Lord Stadtfeld...i advise you to move immediately.The trip before you is a long one..."spoke Zeth as his aide behind him,started giving orders,the vox-grillie in her throat emitting an annoying buzzes of static.The commotion around the tent was palpable,as the Macharius Defenders started rumbling and Basilisks started positioning themselves in firing positions.Skitarii were already preparing kinetic and Earthshaker shells to be loaded,yet kept dry under a makeshift shelters from the ponderous rain. As figures started running in the air,several Enginseers could be seen as they hid melta-charges under their voluminous robes,their power-axes engaged,their energy fields fizzling in the rain.
(Zeth some things were changed do to my fault. So I advanced to time and moved some of the units around.) <Force 1> As the orders were received. The men went to there assigned positions. While the rain was heavy, the thunder was loud, and the sky was dark, their loud presence was made known. To the surprise of all, nothing was found. Not a single being. As they cleared the whole of Hab A, nothing more was found. The Tribune, Black Ichor, and Leviathan moved forward to Hab-block B. It looked as empty and run down as the other hab-block, but this one seemed to look like that before all this happened. The buildings were not so high and they we all in terrible condition. Not much fighting had happened here, or at least the buildings and street did not suggest any signs of attack. Off in the distance, a blinking red light could be seen. Also , there was what looked like a man waving his hands up and down on the tallest roof there. The face on him was scarred. It looked as if he was calling for help. (@Skarboy @High_Adept_Zeth (no mega posts!)) <Force 2> The lancer had moved up further ahead, almost moving to the market. While having Hyspasits squad Alpha and Beta with the Sagittari Squad Alpha follow the Lancer and Eddy. They were the furthest out and the first ones to meet combat! A flurry of blue bolts cut through the wet air. Pulse rifle fire soon filled up the street. Yet, very few hit any of the group. Only some of Hyspasits Squad Alpha had taken damage. Squad Beta and Sagittari Squad Alpha were completly operational. While the smaller tau focused on the Skitarri. Two hammerheads were waiting far back. Each of them taking two shots at the lancer. The first one hit Duo hard, not enough to knock out his shield, but it did cause the Knight to stop dead in its tracks. Only another railgun round had hit him, but it was reflected off his shield with ease. (@DaKaptin ) The Freeblade was about two hundred meters from the Lancer, and it was very apparent that they had began a fight. It was possible to fire from here, but the Castigator would be more effective close range. Maybe Duo would be defeated before he arrived... (@Grall_Stonefist ) Enemy Force: Force 1: None Force 2: 75 Tau Fire Warriors 2 Hammerheads (For your viewing pleasure:
Eddie willed the titan to open fire over the lines, to create a supressing wall over some of the tau, he saw the big blasts that was near Duo, witch might do some very harmfull things to his cerestus if these hammer heads wherent dealt with fast, tau wherent exatly the optimal target for knights, given their high firepower in even basic units, but it wouldent save these ones from his wrath.
Leviathan maneuvered through the streets with care, not wishing to trample any structures below. It was easy in such a towering machine to forget what an impact they made on the worlds underfoot. As his head turned so did the Knight's, an enhanced image of the man appearing in front of his very eyes. Merek rubbed at his jaw thoughtfully, this whole situation was eerie. "Permission to approach the unknown civilian?"
- Duo Advancing ahead of the main force always proved tactically risky. That described Amadeus pretty well. A risk taker and a thrill seeker, those Xenos wouldn't know what hit them. [Shields forward. This is a jog, not a race. Keep the spring wound.] Turned out they had some idea. They hoped to slow they're advance, at least that's what they'd achieve. "Stay behind me, and ready heavy weapons. I want those xeno tanks ready to be scrap when I charge. Understood?" With that Amadeus went to crouched position, his shield up and spear drawn in. A sprinter waiting for the starting gun to fire. [Crush the filth and aim for the building behind them. Bring it down upon them, and skewer the first railgun tank. Leave the other for the Skitarii. Ready Amadeus?] The war engine loaded it's approval. Energy began to build in the power spear, crackling in the air around them. 'Aren't there Tech priests that harness electrical energy?' Duo pondered, before dropping out everything in the sound of roaring engines.
OOC`awww...a tribute? :3 OOC2: ...okay...i`ll try... -Tribune Ipluvien Zeth Tribune and his staff were sheltered in the base floor of the building that seemed to be a gargantuan shop in the time of peace.Now it was forward command for the Skitarii forces and a shelter from the ponderous rain.The only one who were not hindered by the constant downpour seemed to be Knights. Zeth was amazed at the state of the Hive as he found it.There were marks of,at worst,superficial damage on the buildings and few civilians vehicles that were seemingly abandoned on the street.What puzzled him the most,was the lack of civilian population...or corpses. Tribune had his rebreather around his mouth,the rebreather itself was masking half oh his face,where nose was completely hidden.It was a device of certain quality,considering he was a Skitarii commander.Only best for the Mechanicum finest. Rebreather had one additional function.It was utilized as a vox-grillie,allowing the Tribune to communicate in Lingua Technis,considering how such communication was impossible without such device or augmentation.Now...it was the only way to communicate and coordinate between units.Small,hash-binary codes sent between units.Damn interference! "Premission granted,tho be warned Lord Merek...you are going in blind.Auspex is shite!"spoke Tribune,most probably swearing for the first time.The bad weather and the storm infuriated him in his holy duty. Zeth saw the man,waving from afar,his left bionic eye zooming in instantly on him. Turning to his aide he ordered: "Put considerable distance between Cataphractii and those Tau vehicles.If possible,flank them.Have Hyspasit Gamma follow the Leviathan.Give order to Sagitari,that i want one of those tau vehicles down as soon as possible.Higher ground is imperative here.They cannot hit small,distant targets,they suffer from interference as badly as we do.Also...prepare the Basilisks."spoke Zeth as he saw far to his left,blue streaks of energy,probably from Tau vehicles and infantry.
<Force 1> Many of the buildings began to grow larger and larger as Leviathan moved up with Squad Hyspasit Gamma. At one point they were two times the size of the knight, but they looked even further damaged and rundown. Again, none of it looked like a Warzone caused this, it seemed as it was always like this. The Rain was not letting up either. The Grey clouds giving a very dark depressing light to the whole hive. Eventually the Knight and his escort were just below the building. It looked larger from faraway, but was only a few meters taller then any of the other buildings surrounding it. Which was a noticeable difference. The man on top stopped waving his arms. Almost instantly every building filled with men, each of them armed with las guns and a few of them had some heavier armament. With all of weapons pointing at Leviathan and the Skitarii, one began to walk forward towards the Knight. He was obviously not scared, but it was hard to truly tell due to the rain. It would be foolish for a single man to approach a man if he wanted a fight. Leviathan shut down in a bright burst of electricity. The knight slowly falling down to a knee. The Pilot trapped inside the suit. Unknown to him, a lighting strike had hit him and disabled his suit momentarily. This made the Skitarii drop to cover and take aim at the men. The lone man stopping dead in his tracks, he pulled out some sort of pistol weapon and took his stand. The Tribune could see the men appear also, but he was almost 200 meters out and was in the middle of the enemies front door. He still had the Knight, Black Ichor, but for now it was silently waiting orders. Really, the Freeblade had not made any communication. After being awoken and sat back in his command throne, he kept to himself. It was possible that he had always been this way. Maybe he had learned at an early age to keep his mouth shut unless spoken too, or maybe he hadn't the energy for small talk. Now with a Knight down due to an unknown force, the Tribune had lost a large force multiplier. The Skitarii did transfer data, but it was only an estimate on enemy number and that they had not fired yet. Sending the White Knight further out could risk another Titan going down, but it could also save one that was had not died yet. Sending another Knight might also scare the enemies to begin an attack that the Tribune was not ready for. The Tribune had several Choices in front of him. (@Skarboy You can get back up in next post, but that is your only action. You can still communicate back when your back up and @High_Adept_Zeth your Arty will be up your next post) <Force 2> Rook Street was a once the main transport for all who were going to the market for supplies or coming back to their home after a long shift at the Manufactorum. Now it was full of broken down vehicles, military and civilian. The rain was still filling up many of the potholes that covered the street, and lightning occasionally fell and smashed down around the wide open fields of Hive York. Oddly enough this part of the Hive city was covered in foliage. A closer inspection would show that this road cut through a large park. A gem that most Hives would not even consider to have. The Castigator let out a flurry of Bolts down at the enemy lines. Both due to range and the weather conditions it only grazed the formation of troops. It did reveal where most of them were. Most of the Firewarriors were using imperial vehicles as cover and most of them were using the street to move forward. Hopping cover to cover. Sadly, some bolts found there way at Squad Alpha, destroying some that were not quick enough to move out of the spray of bolts. Eddy continued to move forward, soon he would be close enough to the enemey to avoid all friendly fire. With a new target acquired, the Hammerheads aimed for the Castigator, as it had done more damage then the Lancer at this point and seemed like a better target. But like Eddy, their aim was off due to distance, the speed of the knight, and vision. Not a single Railgun hit it's mark. Duo's Power lance was now charged and he ran at full speed toward the Hammerhead. With both of their shots already wasted they did not have time to retaliate. The Knight's Power lance skewered the Hammerhead and threw it to the side. The husk exploding in blew flames. The Sigitari were successful in destroying the other Hammerhead. One of their Krak Missiles hitting the Railgun of the tank and causing a chain reaction inside of the Hammerhead, but they suffered casualties from a Tau counter attack. Luckily enough, Squad Beta had flanked the distracted enemies and killed many of the Blue Xeno. The Tau began to retreat, there were running on their feet and were still jumping cover to cover. It seemed more like a retreat by order, not by defeat... <Force 1> Enemy Forces: -100+- Unknown Humans -1 Unknown Human Leader Allied Forces: -Squad Hyspasit Gamma: 100% <Force 2> Enemy Forces: -3o Tau Firewarriors retreating. Allied Forces: -Squad Hyspasit Alpha: 75% -Squad Hyspasit Beta: 100% -Sagitarii Squad Alpha: 75% (@High_Adept_Zeth If I missed any allied units that were supposed to do something PM me and ill fix)
